Tear You Apart
by The Shinigumi
Summary: Sequel to Goodnight Moon. Kira and L are on the run from the world with Mello, Near and the NPA hot on their trail... but with logic against him, will L stay with Light? It's a game of shifting alliances where anyone can win. Light/L, L/Light.
1. Prologue : Perfect Now

Chapter Title: Prologue (Perfect Now)

Disclaimer: Death Note isn't mine. If it were... this is pretty much what would have happened, actually.

Rating: PG-13 I suppose, for language?

Pairing: Kira/L

Comments: Again, this is a sequel to Goodnight Moon. If you haven't read that yet, the background on this will make no sense to you at all. Also, this will have spoilers on Near and Mello... the spoilers being, they exist. That's about it. Honestly, their pasts really aren't combed over extensively in the series, you know?

Thanks to everyone who reviewed on GM!! I'm super happy, last chapter got quite a few responses-- and something like 1500 hits for that chapter alone...! That blows my mind. Really. Thank you all so much for reading, I'll try not to disappoint. I have up to chapter five completed thus far on this arc, so I'll still be updating every two days for the next week and a half at least? After that, we'll see! Also, it's interesting to me how many people think that L running off with Kira was a very romantic move on his part. I didn't plan it that way, so it makes me grin.

* * *

It was a Tuesday when Quillsh Wammy arrived at the Wammy's House.

In the informal atmosphere of his second morning class, Mello was perched in total boredom on the back of one of the room's cushioned chairs. Other students were arranged in chairs identical to his own in a loose semi-circle around their teacher, listening attentively and asking questions.

The small classroom size and personal attention should have made it impossible for Mello to be doing what he was currently engaged in-- staring blankly out a window, chin on his hand and one foot resting on the arm of his chair. Teaching at the Wammy's house, however, required highly trained personnel used to the eccentric ways of their intelligent wards and individuality was encouraged. If Mello was ignoring the lecture, it was generally assumed that he was already versed in the material or that he was paying more attention than appearances allowed for.

In fact, both of those assumptions were true. Still, while half of his mind was skimming over the conversations of the others, the majority of his attention was focused inward in pure aggravation. If he'd had his way, he would be out of class entirely, torturing some of the younger students or hanging with Matt. Sitting in a class all day, even one tailored to its students like this one, was annoying as hell. If it weren't for his rivalry with Near, he was well-aware that he would be the sort of student to create inventive ways to avoid most of his lessons.

There were times, however, when being inside had its advantages. Sitting as he was, high above the other students and looking out on the grounds of the orphanage, gave him a singularly perfect view of the establishment's main gate. Focus narrowing instantly to the sleek black car as it pulled through the security checkpoint, Mello felt tension sing in his body.

Something was happening.

And he'd be damned if he was going to be stuck in a class while someone else found out what it was before him.

A minimum of energy had him out of the chair and stalking for the door. This, at least, was out of the norm, and his teacher paused in her talk to frown at the perpetually black-clothed student. "Is something the matter, Mello?"

Pausing by the door, Mello thought about telling the truth. Still, the news of Watari's arrival was bound to spread through the school as fast as the students could run and he'd prefer having a head start. "Just getting some air, Ms. Blake," he returned smoothly, predatory eyes focusing briefly on her. He had realized years ago that he unnerved the woman, and it amused him from time to time to challenge her.

Hiding her discomfort, the woman glanced to her watch to break their gaze, then nodded. "All right, but be sure to return before the class is over."

Mello shrugged, leaving without a response before she had time to raise her eyes.

LxLxL

As expected, Quillsh had disappeared into Roger's office as soon as he'd arrived. Mello wasn't the first to take up a position outside of the tall oak doors, but he was the most composed. Leaning back against the wood with his hands in his pockets, he let his eyes acknowledge Matt when the other boy finally found him.

"What's happening?" Matt asked quietly, leaning beside Mello with his shoulder against the door. Mello turned his head slightly to look down at an industrious younger student who was sprawled on the floor with a bit of mirror held to the small space beneath the door.

"They're talking," the boy informed the growing crowd hushed curiously around the office. "Something serious."

"What're they saying?" hissed a girl, quickly elbowed into silence by her peers.

"They turned their heads away, I can't... Wait, there we go..." Gaze unfocused, the boy on the floor moved his lips silently before speaking in a slow, distracted tone. "'...need to inform... the heirs. If they work... together..." He shook his head, grimacing. "Watari's talking again."

"So?" the girl demanded haughtily. She was elbowed again.

"So," Matt responded. "It's hard enough for Cody to read lips. Trying it with the face-ferret Watari calls a mustache is almost impossible."

"Roger's speaking again. He's saying--" Cody began.

Mello had already heard enough. Kicking the boy casually out of his way, he pressed the handle down and strode into the office like a storm. "Maybe instead of talking about us, you should just call us in," the blond suggested aggressively.

Jerking slightly in surprise as the door opened, Roger gave a heavy sigh, lowering his head at the straight-forward attitude of the institution's second-to-the-top student. His face, always lined and drawn as if he'd been facing the horrors of the world since childhood and found life a depressing bother, was drooping more than usual. "Mello, there you are. I assumed you'd be here soon enough... We didn't want to pull the two of you from your classes, but it seems that will no longer be a concern."

Leaning in the doorway, Matt called over lazily. "Should I go grab Near?"

Irritated at his friend's habit of being constantly helpful and efficient, Mello glared.

Watari, however, nodded solemnly. "That would be most useful, Matt. I trust you know where he is?"

Matt laughed. "Yeah. I'll just follow the trail of toys and puzzle pieces." Grinning, he gave a short wave and left. The remaining students looked in curiously, attempted to appear innocent or waving enthusiastically at Watari. Watari lowered his head slightly and gave them a stern look from beneath his bushy eyebrows. The students guiltily ducked their heads, shuffled their feet and closed the door.

LxLxL

With Near inside the room, the tension increased noticeably.

Seeming unaffected, the pale, reclusive boy sat curled on the floor twisting a strand of hair around one finger and idly playing with a toy robot while the others stood around him. This was also, Mello knew, how the young prodigy spent all of his class periods.

Clearing his throat, Roger clasped his hands before himself. "As you've already guessed, the matter we're laying before you is of the utmost seriousness. Now, the worst hasn't come to happen-- L is still alive and well to the best of our knowledge-- but the successor for L must now be chosen."

Mello started, body wound so tight he felt his focus might kill him. "Who is it?" he demanded. "Who did he choose?"

Watari stood calmly, regarding Mello with grave eyes. The aging man seemed as if he hadn't been sleeping well, and Mello frowned, wondering what was going on. "The matter of succession is not the most important matter I came here to discuss. In fact, for the last three days, L has been missing. Missing..." Watari sighed, closing his eyes. "Rather, L had determined with certainty but with imperfect evidence who the original Kira is."

Mello's breath escaped him in a hiss. "Then Kira killed him? Why else would he be missing?" His gaze hardened. "That bastard. I'll kill Kira--"

"Mello, calm yourself," Watari chided. Chastised, Mello lapsed into an impatient silence. "Kira no longer has the ability to kill L with his powers. However, when Kira was in danger of death, L escaped with Kira to safety. At that time, I allowed him three days to change his mind, and am now here. L is aware that he and Kira will now be chased by his successor. However, if the two of you were to work together..."

"Who did he choose?" Mello cut him off. Hands clenched, he found it hard to breathe steadily. Beside him, Near made his robot fly through the air, then set it down again and wiggled its arms. Mello resisted the urge to snatch the toy away and beat Near with it for being so calm.

"...According to L's thoughts and wishes as of the last time I spoke to him, L regarded Near as his logical successor," Watari stated bluntly.

Swaying on his feet, Mello took the news like a gut wound. His face drained of color as his world and all he'd been working toward for years fell down around him. Remaining upright through force of will, he searched for meaning in the words. _L chose him. I've worked my ass off, always trying to catch up to Near, exceed him, doing whatever it takes, and it was all for shit. Even if Near dies now, I'll just be his replacement. I'll never be the best. Unless..._ Mello's fingers dug into his palms, and his nails cut unnoticed into his skin. _If I catch L first, he'll have to acknowledge me. He'll know he made a mistake._

While he thought, Near had finally looked up. "Understood. I'm grateful to L, though if he did escape with Kira, there's much I need to think about. If Mello will assist me, I would be fine with that."

Mello lifted his head, and his eyes held a focus and determination that crossed the line into obsession. Watari blinked, and the blond boy realized with bitter amusement that he'd even scared Watari this time. "Who is Kira?"

"Mello, did you hear what Near said?" Roger interrupted, frowning.

Keeping his gaze on Mello, Watari studied the young man intently. They both ignored Roger. "...Kira is a young Japanese man, by the name of Raito Yagami. The character of his first name is 'tsuki', and is read as 'Light'. You should be able to find him from that. Though if you would re-evaluate your decision..."

"There's nothing to evaluate," Mello stated grimly. "I'm not working with him. We don't get along."

Roger gave another heavy sigh, supporting himself on his desk. "I take it you're leaving, then?" he told Mello.

"Of course. I'm nearly fifteen, and I've learned enough here. I'd rather make it on my own." He looked down to Near, and the younger boy met his gaze. Sensing that Near understood and accepted the challenge, he nodded once and headed for the door. "I'll be leaving as soon as I pack."

"Mello..." Watari spoke after him. When the boy paused and looked back to him, the older gentleman pulled a businesscard from his pocket and held it out. "If you need assistance, please contact me."

Scorning the card, Mello snorted and turned his back on the group. "Help the new L. I'll make it on my own." That said, he pushed from the room, letting the door close firmly on his rival.

LxLxL

In the hallway, Matt stood guarding the door to keep the gathered students from listening in as they had before. When Mello appeared, however, he abandoned his post and fell into step with his friend. "So?"

"So nothing," Mello responded shortly. "I'm leaving Wammy's House." He glanced around, waiting until they'd gone far enough down the hall to not have prying students and continuing in a more quiet voice. "Kira and L are in Japan, and L escaped with the killer to help him live. It doesn't matter why, but he picked Near as his successor before he left. So I'm going to catch them both before Near."

Considering this, Matt kept his pace matching Mello's. "So we're going to Japan?"

Mello stopped, giving his friend a look. "I'm going alone."

Matt adjusted his goggles and returned Mello's look calmly. "The fuck you are. Mello, you just became the main character. Near's a complete NPC, and you're heading off for a boss battle on a time limit. You need to collect people you trust so we can make a plan, get equipped and head out."

"We're not in one of your stupid games!" Mello snapped. "I don't need help, and I don't trust anyone."

"Except me," Matt pointed out. He started walking again, and Mello kept up with him in an aggravated way. "I'm guessing you stormed off and told Watari not to help you either, right? So you need someone at least. We'll already be behind Near and he'll be all caught up on the investigation. We're going to need an angle he doesn't have, and a way to get to Japan."

Mello rummaged in his pockets, pulling out a candybar and stripping the top edge of its wrapping to take a bite. He spoke around it in a determined way. "That's easy. We walk to Southampton, find a criminal group that's itching to do something big but that's been too afraid of Kira to try anything, and we come up with a plan to let them pull it off for a cut. We'll have plenty for plane tickets and a place to stay."

Absorbing this, Matt ran a hand through his hair thoughtfully. "Walk. To Southampton."

Mello scowled at Matt, snapping off another hunk of chocolate. "Fuck off, it's not that far. Just because you do nothing but play video games--"

"It's got to be eighteen miles!" Matt protested, eyeing his friend as if the other boy had gone more insane than usual. "No, more than that. And then where are we going to stay? I mean, while we're searching the city for a group hanging around the bloody streets with a sign saying 'criminals for hire'."

The blond raised his middle finger in a salute to his friend, who responded with the distinctly more British two-fingered V. Mello snorted, stalking ahead of him. "I didn't say you have to come. Stay here with your stupid fucking Playstation."

Matt sighed, looking after the headstrong genius for a moment before catching up to him. "...You know what would be an even better plan than inciting a bank robbery?" he asked, as though to himself. Mello determinedly ignored him. "Asking Watari for some plane tickets." He held up his hands quickly in defense when Mello rounded on him with anger flaring from him almost tangibly. "Hey! Hold on, hear me out. You wouldn't be giving in, all right? This way even though it'll take us longer to catch up on what Near knows, we'll be in the area, and we can at least find something out. If we at have money for a place to stay and travel, we can concentrate on catching up to L before he's had a month or two to hole up in a castle in Latveria or something."

They walked in tense silence for several moments while Mello struggled against his fury to think the situation through objectively. With his volatile nature, Matt was the only one close enough to him to be able to make him see reason through his moods. How difficult this task was for Matt usually depended on how close Near was to their vicinity.

Mello finally took a sharp breath and let it out in a sigh. "...Latveria?" he asked flatly, glaring at Matt with the suspicion his friend was about to say something irritating.

The redhead gave a crooked grin at Mello changing the subject for the moment instead of calling him a pussy and punching him. Apparently, being several halls away from Near and planning to leave Wammy's House behind was far enough for today. "Yeah. Doctor Doom?"

"...How did you get into Wammy's House again?" Mello asked, chewing another bite as though taking his temper out on the treat. "You're obviously a complete idiot. And isn't he from a comic?"

"He's been in games too," Matt explained, eyes showing his amusement.

"Yeah, of course he has," Mello drawled. "God, you are such a tosser."

"Brit slang now?" Matt asked.

"Shut your smart mouth, arseface," Mello retorted, glaring at his friend sidelong and pocketing what remained of his chocolate bar as they turned to the stairs leading to their rooms.

"How'd you get into Wammy's, again?" Matt mocked playfully. "You're obviously a complete idiot." Mello punched his arm, and Matt jabbed him in the side with his Game Boy before dodging out of the way of a more serious, if half-hearted, attack on Mello's part.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence this time as they ascended the stairs. "...So, what did you decide?" Matt asked quietly, glancing at Mello.

"I'd rather plan a bank robbery than ask for help," Mello asserted, frowning darkly.

"Yeah, well," Matt commiserated. "We can try it later for kicks if you're still bitching about it. We'll be bored again after we catch L. And Kira," he added in afterthought, tilting his head at the brief thought that L doing such an uncharacteristic thing as escaping with Kira had changed the focus of Near and Mello's lives from being L to being the one to capture him. "Hey, Mello. Why do you think he did it?"

"Like I should know?" Mello replied hotly, not needing to ask who 'he' was. "Watari will just bullshit Near with excuses, anyway. If he really wanted L caught he'd have just told us where he was going the first night instead of waiting three days."

"Hmm... There's another point to consider," Matt pointed out. "Does L really want you to catch him?" He opened the door to his room as he spoke, leaning against the doorway.

Stopping at the door directly to Matt's left, Mello paused before turning the knob. "He told Watari who his successor is and knew we'd be chasing him. So whatever he's doing with Kira, he must not really think it's right or he'd be going full out against us. It's been three days and Watari's still alive even though L would be able to find a picture of him and knows his name, so that's not the case." He shook his bangs from his eyes and looked to Matt sardonically. "You'll notice all of us are alive too. He could have made Kira kill any of us that would have been a threat to them, but he didn't."

"Yeah... I wonder why that is," Matt mused. Lacking any evidence to form a theory, Mello shook his head in aggravation and stepped into his room to pack and get a hold of Roger before Watari left with Near.

Knowing how hard that would be for the other boy, Matt left him to swallow a piece of his pride and went into his own room to gather his own belongings and maybe beat another level.

Across the mansion, bells rang to signal the end of the last morning classes, but in their hallway the sound could barely be heard.

LxLxL

In Roger's office, Near was still curled on the floor in his pajamas. A laptop was open in front of him displaying all of the information L and Light's team had gathered over the past year. Scattered on the floor around him were folders full of hardcopy files giving information on specific details for easy access and browsing, with several toy robots and a crashed airplane adding to the scene. Rather than being messy, all of the folders were precisely arranged in a pattern spreading out from Near.

One finger twisting in his hair, Near skimmed the files as he listened to Watari's end of his brief conversation with Mello over the office phone. Watari agreed readily to Mello's no doubt angrily worded and vulgar request for plane tickets and limited funds, and Near added this information to the thoughts spinning lazily in his mind. Mello was going to Japan.

Like the theory of an oscillating universe, his thoughts would go out and out from almost nothing, and when they'd reached their end would be pulled inexorably inward to their conclusion. Near didn't yet know what that conclusion would be, or what the plan would involve. Of course, he couldn't. A few pieces were missing, and he would definitely need to speak with all of the members of the Kira investigation team in Japan.

Still, he was satisfied with this interesting new puzzle. He knew that capturing L and Kira would most likely be the hardest case of his life. That it occurred when he was only beginning his career only made it more of a challenge.

His finger never stopped twirling, and a small smile curved his mouth as he set to work on the paper files and picked up one of the robots to read the page with him.

* * *

**A/N:**

I think I'm finally getting the hang of how to do things on ffnet...! So-- what did you think? This chapter didn't have as much as I was planning-- or rather, it had a good deal more of Mello and Near. I assumed I'd just pop them in for a few paragraphs for Mello to throw a fit and run off, and we'd skip on over to check on Light and L. Mello and Matt at least had very different plans, and even Near joined the game more toward the chapter's end... I'm nervous about writing them all, so I've been going over how they appear in the manga and even watching a few episodes they appeared in. I don't think it's necessarily helping. (I'm working on watching the anime now, but I've been doing it all out of order. It's interesting what changes there are between manga and anime... For Mello, I'm reading the LA BB murders too.)

Anyway, next chapter will have Light and L again! I felt like putting them into this chapter would be like LotR ending fifty times. So far the chaps in this arc have been averaging around 7 - 9 pages... Sorry! I'm trying for quality in shorter time over quantity every two weeks or something. I can only write on my days off, so I basically wait until one of those, start and finish the chapter, then spend a few days tweaking it and planning the next, then post...

Tear You Apart comes from She Wants Revenge's song of the same name. I think the theme of dark, nearly psychotic attraction works pretty well with Light, and the title gives all sorts of fun possibilities to me. This chapter title is a song by Ashley Parker Angel. Titles for chapters and stories are generally me opening up winamp and scrolling through my playlist for likely sounding associations in my mind. Actually, sometimes entire chapters are made in a similar way...

Responses from the end of GM:

Shadowsole: It is here!

OkageHime: Yup! I'm having a lot of fun with this.

LustAndVengeance: Cliffhangers are fun! You shouldn't put yourself down, though. Updated!

spiegalr: Thanks!

dreamsofpalmtrees: Yay, Bourne movies! Hmm, island hideaway is an interesting thought... At the point I'm at they're still fleeing hotel room to hotel room-- I'm trying to think of different possibilities.

mornir-brightflame: L's reputation hasn't been ruined at this point; it'll take a few chaps for all the truth to come to light. And nope, to the best of my vague knowledge of wtf I'm doing with this arc, Light isn't going to be returning. He remains in Kira's subconscious though, messing with his head?

Naitchal666: Hi again! Remember, these were all pre-written and up on AFF, so I've just been transferring one over here every few days-- it takes about four/six days to plan a chapter carefully out, then a day to write it.

Trappersgirl: Yay! Thanks!

Bob Da Peach: Yup! L's pretty depressed. I go into his thoughts and explain some in chapter five.

Impervious Marr: Thank you so much!

SoraXNamine: It has arrived! Thank you.

Amorpheous: Soichirou cracks me up. I haven't put him in the sequel much so far, but I want to bring him back later... He's fun to write. Thank you very much for your reply! And even if it's not fanart, I want to see it if you finish the picture! I've never inspired art before, it makes me happy.

Tarshil: Nooo, I'm not Kira! (God? Sorry, I'm cheesy.) Thanks so much, though! I'm not very satisfied with that chapter... Unfortunately, this arc is back to the UST, for a while at least.

MiaoShou: I can't picture Light every loving anyone unreservedly. He seems too self-obsessed to me. (Maybe he loves himself unreservedly?) and L's emotions are really slippery to me.

living laughing dead: Thanks!


	2. Scratch

Chapter Title: Scratch

Disclaimer: Death Note isn't mine. If it were... this is pretty much what would have happened, actually.

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Kira/L

Comments: Hello again! On with the story. I am sooo terribly glad this was already done-- I've been sick for a few days, so I've gotten no writing done. I tried writing and it ended up being around two hours of me staring at the screen blankly and sniffling a lot wishing I were in bed...

* * *

"MisaMisa! I'm home!"

Amane Misa lay on her stomach on a floral-printed couch, stockinged feet idly kicking the air. At the voice, she looked up with a smile. "Nori-chan! Welcome back!"

The younger actress entered her tidy apartment carrying a shopping bag. Toeing her shoes off at the door, she staggered into the room under the weight of the groceries. "I brought snacks and movies. We can have a girl's night out!"

"Nori-chan thinks of everything! We can start as soon as I'm finished," Misa told her cheerfully. Picking her pen up again, she looked back to the news and wrote another name on the notebook in front of her.

"Judging again?" Nori asked her with a sigh in her words. "Being Kira is hard work..." Shaking her head, she set the grocery bag on the floor beside the couch and settled on her knees beside the idol. "Even harder than acting?"

"Well, it's acting, too!" Misa pointed out playfully. Finishing another name, she closed the Death Note and sat up. "But it's worth it. I know that the real Kira will make the world into a paradise. I just get to help him..." Savoring this, Misa gave a soft smile, knowing that she was doing what Light wanted. Also, the news hadn't said anything about Kira being caught, so Light was safe. He must be counting on Misa, and she wouldn't let him down.

"Ahh-- MisaMisa is in looove!" Nori teased, laughing. "I'm so jealous... I wish I had someone like that. My boyfriend's a real jerk!" she added, making a face.

"Misa could kill him, too," Misa offered. She winked. "But only if he does something really bad. No one can hurt Nori-chan while Misa is here!" she struck one of her idol poses, winking at her friend, and the two fell to giggling.

Getting an idea, Nori looked up to Rem, resting her arms on the couch beside Misa. "Rem-chan, do reapers date?"

Looming silently against the wall, Rem appeared startled at the girl talking to her. "...No, we don't have feelings in the way that humans do," she responded after a moment's consideration.

"How boring!" Nori sighed dramatically. "Never falling in love... I'm going to have a huge wedding, too! MisaMisa, will you come?" she added.

Misa's smile turned sad for a moment before she made it brighten enthusiastically. "Of course! Misa wouldn't miss it. Nori-chan is helping Misa sooo much...!"

Blushing, Nori waved the words away. "I'm not really... I'm just giving you a place to stay and some things to wear. I'm happy to be helping MisaMisa... and Kira, too."

"That helps more than you know, Nori-chan," Misa informed her firmly. Sitting up, she reached over her friend to look in the bag. "Ahh! MisaMisa loves this movie!" She pulled out Battle Royale. "Shuya-kun is so cute!"

The young women gushed and chattered, putting on a movie and acting carefree. The Death Note was slid under the couch and forgotten while they had fun.

On an earlier page of the note, printed in Misa's girly hand, were the words:

_Kaiou Nori_

_Does whatever she can to help her friend, Misa. Learns that Misa is the second Kira but still supports her. Tells no one that Misa is staying with her, or any information about Kira or the Death Note. _

_When Misa stops staying with Nori within twenty-three days, Nori dies two nights later in her sleep. She feels no pain._

LxLxL

The Hotel Certosa di Maggiano was called "one of the most romantic small luxury hotels in Tuscany". It lived up to its name, surrounded by scenic beauty and fully restored from the Carthusian monastery it had been almost seven centuries before. It was a place where tourists went to spend days relaxing and basking in the spirit of Italy.

Luckily, with the curtains drawn and if one never left the suite, forgetting all of that wasn't too hard.

Kira and L had traveled from Japan and across Europe for more than a week. To avoid detection, they had laid false trails and planted information with bribes or using Light's cleverness at hacking, going often in disguise and keeping to false identities. Never staying in any location for more than two nights, they'd collected money from several of L's accounts and had alternated between cheap dives and discrete establishments.

Kira was not enjoying Italy. It was fine for L, who knew more than ten languages fluently, but Kira had only seen reason to learn four. Italian was not among them. It had enough similarities to Spanish to be comprehensible, but communicating with it posed more of a problem. Being caught in a land where the dominant language wasn't one he knew felt like a trap.

Still, being himself, he hid his discomfort flawlessly. Reclined with perfect poise on one of the room's couches, the murderer watched with L as a world news report gave coverage of Kira's continued judgments. Beside him, L kept his dark eyes fixed to the screen, only moving to select another bite from the collection of confections gathered on the low table in front of him.

Being forced into close company for days in the stressful routine of constant moving and covering their tracks had not had a positive effect on their relationship. This was added to the fact that moving so often had destroyed Kira's sleep schedule and he'd started to dream again. Confronting 'Light' by night and being faced with L during the daylight hours had done nothing for his temper.

Irritated and blaming L for their need to be in hiding, Kira had taken to baiting the famous detective.

Rather than being able to relax now that it was only himself and Kira, L had maintained his bizarre defensive habits, curled on the couch as though it were natural to him. Kira suspected that this was due to the uncertainty of not yet knowing when or how his successor would make a move, but didn't see a reason to ask.

When the news turned to things of lesser import, Kira reached casually over and turned off the television before dropping the remote back to the table. "Well. At least Misa took my idea to heart-- it's surprising that she hasn't been caught yet, though. That is, if your successor ever plans to make a move," he added dryly.

Swallowing a bite of cake, L turned his blank eyes to Kira slowly. "Near is undoubtedly gathering information on us still and deciding which move to make first."

"It's been days since Watari would have told him," Kira pointed out in a condescending tone. "Delaying only makes it easier for us to escape. If he had gone to Japan immediately to pick up our trail, it may have been possible, but now..."

"Kira should not be so dismissive," L returned. "Near will act."

"So you keep repeating." Sighing silently, Kira leaned forward to lift his black coffee and take a sip, casting a glance of distaste at L's mass of sweets. As he often did of late, he let his thoughts wander over his previously brilliant plan and study it from different angles, trying again to determine what had gone wrong.

"...Kira misses the Death Note," L murmured.

The soft words drew Kira's attention and he slid his gaze to linger on the older man. "Why would you say that?"

"Kira often uses that phrase when I am right," observed L placidly. "...It must be difficult for you to remember having a god-like power and to be forced to stay in hiding now, allowing Misa to carry out your murders for you." His concentration was focused fully on Kira now, and Kira stifled an urge to look away.

"Well, anyone would miss that sort of power," Kira pointed out calmly. "But I wasn't thinking that at all. The Death Note is a means to an end and I know I'll be able to resume my path to a new world soon enough."

L nodded, gaze unwavering. Apparently changing the subject, he spoke abruptly. "Does Kira-kun even notice when he lies to himself, or is it instinctive?"

Jaw clenching briefly, Kira regained self-control and forced a quiet chuckle as he sipped from his coffee again. "Really, I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm a very honest person."

The detective's eyes widened. A very small, incredulous smile curved his mouth.

Kira's hand curled into a fist. Punching the detective was almost too hard to resist at this point, but he made himself refrain with effort. "Laugh at me if you want. When have I lied to you?"

"Almost as often as you've spoken," L replied immediately, head tilting and tone helpful. "Light-kun lied through expressions and controlling emotions. Kira-kun does that as well, but even though we are alone he tries to make himself appear better than he is. It would be interesting to get to know Kira without his affectations of sanity."

"'Affectations of sanity' is an insulting phrase, L," Kira chided sardonically. "I'm perfectly sane."

L took another bite of food, then swallowed, apparently fascinated by his cake. "...I was unaware that 'megalomaniac with aspirations at world domination' was within the definition of sanity, Kira-kun," he pronounced. "Thank you for the correction."

Kira set his coffee down carefully to avoid spilling it in his rage. Lacing his fingers tightly together, he worked to keep a hold of his anger. He would not allow L to get to him. He was Kira-- he would be a god, and he would rule the world. Allowing one cake-obsessed freak of a genius to get under his skin was beneath him. He took a calming breath and managed a smile that felt more like a baring of teeth. "That isn't megalomania, L. It's the truth. There are only a few obstacles in my way."

L took another bite of cake and set the fork down, metal clattering on ceramic. Kira's tattered nerves frayed yet more. "Of course," L agreed blandly. "Then again... Kira's last plan didn't work perfectly, did it? It's regrettable that the Death Note does not give one prescience. If Kira-kun were an actual god, he might have known what would go wrong--"

The older man was cut off by Kira grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him closer. Kira's eyes were full of barely-controlled fury, and the sunset coming through the curtained windows gave the honey-brown of his irises a red tinge. "That wasn't my plan having an imperfection. That was _your_ fault, Ryuuzaki," he snapped, reverting to the detective's pseudonym from months of habit. "If you hadn't ignored all logic and the false rules in the note to have Misa followed..."

LxLxL

Not fighting to free himself from Kira's grasp, L instead kept his expression blank as he considered and discarded possible reactions and outcomes. In an instant he'd decided on the plan that would give him the most information from the simplest gesture.

While Kira snarled at him, L relaxed in the murderer's grip. "Light-kun..." Reaching up, he trailed his fingers gently over Kira's cheek.

Kira flinched away as if the touch had burned, pupils dilating and breath going out in a rush as he shoved L away from himself. L memorized the young man's extreme response, as well as the expected flash of self-irritation that immediately crossed Kira's face as he realized that he had acted instinctively and not just ignored L's touch.

Drawing himself back into a crouch methodically, L spoke again. "Kira-kun has not been sleeping."

"We've been moving every other night," Kira replied shortly, still rebuilding his control. He wasn't in a mood for the man's non sequiturs. Even if they did always have some point.

"More than that," L continued as if Kira hadn't spoken. "When you do sleep, you wake often and seem angry. What have you been dreaming of? I assumed that Kira did not have dreams at all."

"...I don't," Kira replied in an evasive tone. "I've been..." on the edge of responding honestly, Kira appeared to catch himself. He held himself with a perfect stillness that suggested to L that he would have been fidgeting if he'd had less self-control. "A few memories have been giving me trouble when I sleep at night, that's all."

"What memories?"

Kira's jaw tightened again and he got the peculiar tense expression of one struggling against a frown. His face smoothed almost immediately into slight exasperation as he looked to L again. "Why does that matter? Speaking of sleep, however, I believe I'll go to bed now. I have been feeling more tired lately..." He stood, preparing to head to the hotel room's single bedroom. L didn't trust the other man not to leave in the middle of the night and try to make his own way if they had separate rooms. It would be vastly illogical, but Kira was a proud and stubborn young man and the possibility wasn't zero. As L didn't sleep in any case, Kira had taken to making the man stay on a chair beside the bed rather than actually in it, claiming he didn't trust L's intentions.

Not wanting Kira to leave just yet, L looked to the ceiling rather than his fellow fugitive. "...I had no footage of Amane," he stated.

"You-- what?" Kira blinked, thrown off not by the abrupt change of subject but what L's words implied. L merely looked to him, seeing no reason to repeat himself and knowing that Kira would quickly think through what his words had meant. As expected, Kira's eyes narrowed in an instant. "Explain."

"When I took you to the separate room, I was bluffing. I believed my life was in danger. Rem was unexpectedly helpful, as I believe that on your own you would have seen through my deception."

A slow, cold rage built in Kira. His hands clenched and relaxed. "You couldn't have known the thirteen day rule was false or that the misspelling rule was correct. You risked your life on a bluff?"

"Well," L temporized, head tilted back to study Kira. "I wasn't aware that Rem would try to kill me. Still, it almost worked-- if Kira hadn't freed Amane or had been frightened into giving up his memories, I would have had proof."

"And now we're stuck here, hiding from the world, because of a hunch you had that you might die," Kira clarified, voice tightly controlled. L could see the other man's desire to attack him.

The curious thing was the fact that he stopped himself.

"Yes," L agreed simply.

Kira's teeth bared in a grimace of hatred and his face flushed with his anger. He made an abortive move toward L that caused the detective to fall back in preparation to kick-- and then, abruptly, he turned and stalked to the bedroom. The door slamming was his response.

Letting out his breath slowly, L climbed back to his crouch, thumb pressed to his lips as he gave a small smile. _Kira-kun was afraid to attack me. I had wondered if he was still attracted... 95 percent certainty. He can no longer be sure that we would only fight._ The thought was pleasant, and L found himself uncurling a little to pop a chocolate covered strawberry into his mouth decisively.

Being on the run with Kira was starting to look less than hopeless after all.

LxLxL

At the same moment halfway around the world, the door to the Oval Office opened and two figures entered. A member of the secret service remained inside of the room, wary of the trenchcoat and concealing hat the older man wore.

The president's attention was only briefly caught by the man, whom the FBI had assured him was Watari, assistant to the famous detective L. Instead, he found himself focusing on the pale boy who wandered dreamlike in front of Watari to crawl into one of the chairs set in front of his desk. The child's eyes never met his, and with one finger constantly twirling his fluffy white hair into gravity-defying curls, he made the president wonder if he might be touched in the head. Surely this child couldn't be L...?

Clasping his hands on his desk, President Hale turned his focus back to Watari. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. My men tell me that you're Watari," he asserted, cutting straight to the point. "L has always contacted me through you, but you appearing in person is unprecedented. To what do I owe the honor?" he asked.

"L has become compromised."

It was the child who had replied, and President Hale turned to him, curious. "Compromised in what way?"

"..." Briefly, the boy's gaze dropped from the corner of the ceiling. Instead of looking to the president, however, he turned in his seat to study the secret service member.

President Hale hesitated, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you must understand my position. My men can be trusted explicitly, while I don't even know who you are. He has to stay."

The child gave a quiet sigh, seeming to accept this annoying fact. "I'm the successor to L," he answered in response to the president's unspoken question. His eyes had already returned to the ceiling. "You may call me Near. L developed an attachment to Kira and is currently protecting him. I need your assistance to capture him."

Eyebrows arching, President Hale's hands tightened briefly before he leaned back in deep thought. "You need my assistance... in what way? If Kira is still at large, and moreover now has the support of L, you'll see that this is very awkward for me. I could make a statement against Kira, but I've already served my eight years. My own successor has just been elected, and I have to be cautious about what I commit the country to."

"I will catch Kira on my own," Near asserted, leaving no room for argument. His finger paused in its constant circling, then resumed. "The matter I need you for is small, and your successor should also agree to it. I require at least one of your best FBI agents. No, two would be better... Three would make it seem like I don't trust the detectives I'll be working with. Two will give me people I can use and trust to do what needs to be done and to protect me." Near paused, considering, and then slowly dropped his pale eyes to meet president Hale's gaze. "Watari is also attached to L. I can not trust that he will always act in the interest of the investigation and that his will can not be compromised. With your help, I would feel more secure in my pursuit of Kira."

President Hale tensed, but hid it. The agent by the door shifted, hand settling closer to his gun, and Hale calmed again. Even if Watari were to side with L and Kira at this moment, it could do him little good against an armed guard. "It's strange that you mention that in front of Watari," he mused, keeping Watari in his vision as he watched Near. Watari had made no reaction at all to Near's announcement.

"Near is not concerned with social niceties," Watari spoke for the first time. His voice was sardonically amused and had a faint English accent. "His only focus is capturing L and bringing Kira to justice."

"I see..." President Hale steepled his fingers, gaze thoughtful.

Though getting on in years, the president made it a point to remain healthy and to stay sharp. He was a politician, but liked to think that he had the interest of the country at heart. What Near suggested was simple enough-- two agents could be easily spared. But then... President Hale sighed. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline. The last time the US interceded with Kira our agents were murdered. I don't want to see a repeat of that situation."

"I understand," Near replied. "You don't want negative press before the inauguration. Critics would certainly claim that this is a last attempt to raise your standing with the American public before you're forced to retire. It would be better to simply allow Kira to win." Standing, Near turned for the door. "Good day, Mr. President."

Pride and irritation straightened the president's spine. "You're out of line," he informed the child coolly.

"...As were you," Near responded. Still, he paused in his walk to the door, back to the president and face turned only partly toward him. He waited.

Clasping his hands again, President Hale bowed his head. Two lives were at stake in this decision. Still, if they were only assisting the boy, it was possible that they would stay alive. And if there was a chance the eccentric child with his unnatural intelligence could really stop Kira and save the world... He sighed heavily. "Very well. I'll grant you two agents."

Turning slightly, the albino favored president Hale with a cheerful smile that couldn't seem to reach his eyes. "You made the correct decision," Near approved.

"Of course, you would say that," President Hale commented in a dry tone. His expression remained sober. "Do you believe you can catch Kira where L failed?"

"L didn't fail," Near returned. "He was just weak. He let emotions decide for him and lost to Kira because of that."

"And you don't believe that will happen to you?" asked the president.

"My emotions don't work that way." The cryptic statement was accompanied by the boy turning away. "Thank you for your support, Mr. President. I will definitely catch L now."

"You mean Kira?" President Hale clarified, not liking the sound of that. This entire situation filled him with foreboding.

"Yes, him as well," Near agreed.

To that, President Hale couldn't think of a thing to say.

* * *

Scratch is by Kendall Payne. It is fairly depressing, but the lyrics work. Mostly. The sequel's title will eventually make it into a chapter, but we haven't gotten that far yet.

General chapter notes: Hale is an original character, since Near talks to president Hoope in March 2009 and he seemed like he'd been in office for more than three months, so I assumed it was his second term... And as this is set currently in November 2004 and that was an election year, my president Hale is finishing up his last few months until Hoope takes over. Nori is not an original character, however-- she's the actress Misa traded outfits with when she was sneaking out on a date with the third Kira. I gave her a last name by asking my best friend "What would be a funny last name for a girl named Nori?".

Edit : Thanks to NightmareTears for pointing out that Misa shouldn't have written her full name into the Death Note! Changed it to "her friend, Misa", so she wouldn't... you know... die of a heart-attack forty seconds after writing.

Comment responses:

dreamsofpalmtrees: You're right! Though sadly they haven't gotten to doing anything more fun than hanging out and pissing each other off... sigh. I'm working on it!

Amorpheous: Yay! I'm curious. Thanks! I'm nervous about Matt and Mello... Near is fun enough to write so doesn't seem as nerve-wracking to me. (Also, are you l-Amorpheous-l on dA? It seems too much coincidence to ignore... if so, hello!)

Megan-taichou: There you go! Thanks.

Shadowsole: Thank you-- I get nervous with my pacing sometimes... Hmm.

Fiery Goddess of Ice: Thank you so much! I try to keep them as IC as possible. Matt's amusing to me. Out of everyone in Death Note, he's such a dork... it's wonderful.

MiaoShou: I'm looking forward to it too! Which sounds weird, but I'm still pretty much making it up as I go, so it startles me most of the time too...

Grace: Now you don't have to wait! It's here and everything.

xgothic-rosex: Oh dear! Your sleep schedule sounds like mine. I'm amazed you liked GM enough to look at my page and find this! Thank you so much, that's very flattering.

geminin001928: Hee, I'm secretly a fan of serious, semi-psychotic drama. So Light was a little too innocent and happy... he was going along with L too easily, and Kira had to come back. Light's still somewhere in Kira's subconscious though, pulling strings and messing with him.


	3. Extreme Ways

Chapter Title : Extreme Ways

Disclaimer: Death Note isn't mine. If it were... this is pretty much what would have happened, actually.

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Kira/L

Comments: This chapter is lacking in Kira or L again-- sorry! But the next few chapters feature them much more. I've got more inspiration for where to go with the story, so things are rolling along!

* * *

Morale was decidedly low at the investigation headquarters in Japan.

Though Chief Yagami had attempted to resign immediately following Kira's escape with L, Watari had managed to convince him to hold off for a few days until the new L could decide what options would be best for the investigation. A broken man, Chief Yagami had reluctantly agreed. While he tried to help the others in the investigation, however, he spent more time staring into space, wondering where he'd gone wrong when raising Light. His anger upon discovering his son's deception had changed over the next few days to bone-deep depression., and getting through the day with the realization that his son was the mass-murderer they had been tracking for more than a year was becoming more difficult.

Aizawa had stepped into the role of lead investigator in his place and he and Mogi had managed to make some headway on the case with the help of a new investigator, Hideki Ide. The man had disagreed with L's methods, but with L off the case Aizawa had felt it safe to bring him in.

Two days after Near's consultation with President Hale, Aizawa and Ide were at the computer terminals, discussing several leads they'd found on where L and Light might have gone after leaving Japan. Beside them, Mogi listened as he stoically perused through witness reports and flight logs and Chief Yagami sat hunched and trying to focus in another chair.

Several seats away was Matsuda, shoulders slumped and with the air of a beaten and scolded dog. Occasionally, he would look over and offer a comment in a hopeful way, but Aizawa would give him a stern look and ignore him.

Matsuda had made the mistake a few days into the renewed investigation of suggesting that Light Yagami might be the best possible person to hold the Death Note after all. Aizawa had turned on him, but Chief Yagami-- showing the first signs of life in days-- had interrupted to ask if Matsuda was serious. Sheepish, Matsuda had clarified, mentioning that Light was a morally upstanding man and very intelligent, and was also the best person he could imagine owning the Death Note if someone actually had to use it.

Chief Yagami had forgiven him but informed Matsuda that the Death Note was an evil thing and that his son, no matter how good of a person, had become evil as well in using it.

Chastised but still not certain, Matsuda had agreed.

Aizawa, not trusting an investigator who sympathized to such a degree with their suspect, had made a point since that moment of shunning Matsuda. He believed that the ostracism would give Matsuda time to realize the error of his thoughts and decide if he really still wanted to be a member of the investigation.

Unfortunately, it seemed to just make the younger detective confused and sad, and the wide-eyed imploring looks he would constantly send Aizawa's way had begun to grate on the lead investigator's nerves-- especially since Ide seemed to be swayed by them, asking Aizawa to 'let up on the guy' or 'go easy on him'.

He was gripping his coffee cup fiercely and on the verge of snapping at Matsuda to stop looking at him and get back to work when Watari's fanciful 'W' took over all of their screens.

Startled out of his anger, Aizawa turned his attention to the speakers. "Watari?"

"L's successor has arrived," came the gentleman's polite response. "He will be up to see you shortly. Please do not be put off by his appearance; though young, he is very capable. I trust you will see something of Ryuuzaki in him as well..." As abruptly as it had appeared, the W blinked away and their screens returned to normal. Aizawa and the others only had time to look at each other in shock before the door to the room hushed open.

In the doorway stood a pale, waif-like boy, looking at nothing and twirling his hair. Blinking, Aizawa sat back in his chair, trying to absorb the fact that they would have to work with this child now. L, for all of his oddities, was a solid detective with a good reputation. Even Light, though young, was the son of Chief Yagami and at least of a college age. Aizawa had the feeling this child should be playing toys with little Yumi, not attempting to keep up in a murder investigation. He frowned, opinions written on his face.

The capable-seeming, sharp-eyed man who stepped in after the child was a match for Mogi in both size and silence. Trailing after them was a slim man with a troubled expression who appeared to be close to Matsuda's age.

There was a brief, tense moment as the two groups studied each other-- aside from the albino, who appeared to be chronically unable to look anyone in the eye. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Aizawa made to rise, but Chief Yagami beat him. Apparently having snapped out of his miserable haze for the moment, the man was standing with his shoulders back. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Chief Yagami, and these are my detectives. Aiza--"

He was interrupted by the boy, who spoke as though he were reading something uninteresting out loud. "I know all of your names as well as the information on this case. Introductions would waste time. I am Near, and the men with me are Anthony Rester and Stephen Gevanni. They will be assisting me."

Offended by the boy's dismissive attitude toward the Chief, Aizawa tensed, glaring as he watched the disciplined detective go stiff and then bow slightly. "Of course, you are correct," he responded formally.

The child's finger paused in a curl of his hair, though his expressionless eyes stayed on the ceiling. "I didn't mean to offend your pride. Have you made any progress in the week since L and both Kira suspects escaped?"

Chief Yagami hesitated for an awkward moment and Aizawa, with a stab of guilt, stood beside the older man. "Amane Misa was seen in several places as the shinigami carried her away. After that, however, she's disappeared from our radar. For Ryuuzaki and Light, the helicopter was found abandoned on the roof of a building. From there we believe Light and Ryuuzaki took a cab and found a hotel. We've determined the airport they took and the flight they left on."

"A hotel?" Near asked thoughtfully, finger pausing again. "Why would they stop before reaching the airport?"

Watari's voice came smoothly over the speakers. "Ryuuzaki had authorized using force to convince Light to move from Chief Yagami's path."

"...Kira resisted leaving?" Near clarified.

The response seemed faintly embarrassed. "I did not give him the chance to."

Matsuda's eyes went wide and Aizawa prayed the young detective would control his mouth. The prayer was in vain. "Really? I always thought Watari-san was an old man! How did you get Light?" he asked, obviously impressed.

"Matsuda..." Chief Yagami sighed.

"The element of surprise may have helped," Watari offered modestly. "In any case, he was unconscious when Ryuuzaki left with him."

"So L would have been giving him time to wake up. I see," Near mused. "Why had you not mentioned this fact before?"

"I was already aware of the progress the investigators here were making, and would have preferred to keep that lapse in judgment to myself."

"In the future, your embarrassment and bad judgment are not to be taken into account when considering what information to supply the investigation with," Near commanded. The Japanese detectives winced at his blunt wording.

"Watari wasn't joking, the kid's just like L. I mean, a younger L, and really adorable, but who says things like that?" Matsuda whispered loudly to the others. "Maybe it's just because he's ten..."

"Matsuda-san is wrong about my age," Near corrected calmly. Jumping, Matsuda flushed in embarrassment and hung his head. Aizawa sighed at him.

"...Though Matsuda shouldn't have mentioned it, your age is a concern," Aizawa admitted, crossing his arms on his chest and giving Near a direct look. The look was wasted on Near, and Aizawa tightened his arms against a surge of annoyance at the boy's lack of manners. _Who raised this kid?_ he wondered. _If he really is L's son, the only surprise would be a woman being able to stand L long enough to sleep with him..._ Realizing how unflattering that thought was, he tried to push it away. "Simply put, aren't you too young to be the leader of this investigation?"

"Age has little to do with it. L believes me capable of being his successor, and... I was raised in an establishment specially made to raise the person who could take over L's title."

Matsuda gasped, but Aizawa ignored him, concentrating on Near as a serious thought occurred to him. "You speak about L familiarly. Did you know him personally?"

Behind him, Ide nodded at the statement and watched Near curiously, while Mogi, his interest in Near not requiring that he watch, had pragmatically returned his attention to looking at information on the case.

Seeming interested for the first time, Near glanced at Aizawa. After a pause, he gave an eerie little smile. "A good observation, Aizawa-san. Yes, I know L."

"What?" Ide demanded. All eyes turned to him and he shrugged in apology but pressed on. "I mean, why should we trust you to find L if you've been trying to be like him your whole life? Isn't there a... conflict of interest?"

Near's gaze returned to the corner. Apparently bored with standing, he sank to the floor in the middle of the room, resting on one curled leg with the other knee by his chest. Rester reached into his jacket and the Japanese detectives tensed in unison until he revealed several action figures hidden there instead of a gun. He handed these silently to the child, who gave him a thoughtful look before thanking him and accepting the toys, setting them on the ground to play with them. He spoke only after this, voice still clearly audible in spite of his attention being focused on his toys. "There is no conflict of interest. I admired L and wanted to be him, as all of us did. However, I believe that Kira should be brought to justice, and that L is better off not in his presence." Aizawa and Chief Yagami reluctantly retook their seats, deciding the impasse between their groups was over.

Matsuda looked empathetic, leaning forward in his chair and obviously being won over by Near's childlike behavior. "Poor kid..." He was looked at sharply by Aizawa and noticed the embarrassed grimace Chief Yagami gave. "Ah!" he lifted his hands defensively. "I didn't mean it like that! It's just, if I had someone I really looked up to and admired, and well-- I still admire Light," he added in a quieter voice, blushing again but determined. His eyes were stubborn in spite of the disapproval of his teammates. "He's way smarter than me-- than anyone, except maybe L, I mean the old L, or..." he looked to Near uncertainly. "But that doesn't mean it's right to kill. Just, some people really seem to deserve death... What was I talking about?" Trailing off nervously, he abruptly straightened. "Right!" he added, causing Ide and the smaller man Near had identified as Gevanni to jump. He smiled at Near. "It's horrible having someone you look up to betray you. But you shouldn't be going after L just for revenge. You're too young, you should be, well, you are playing with toys, but..."

"Matsuda," Chief Yagami sighed. It was his most polite way of refraining from telling his detective to shut up.

Relieved when Matsuda obeyed, Aizawa shook his head, grimacing faintly.

"I don't pursue L for revenge. On the contrary, I still want to be L, but only the position, not the man," Near stated matter-of-factly. "While L is still around, I'm merely stepping into his title of world's best detective without earning it. Capturing him will prove my worth. He has shown himself to be too emotional to be a real role model." He looked up at Matsuda. "L's attraction to Light was a critical weakness and proved his downfall."

"When you say attraction..." Chief Yagami mused, troubled and thinking of Matsuda's observations on their behavior.

"Light is a charismatic person," Aizawa pointed out gruffly. "Even if they fought, Ryuuzaki might have liked him under all of it. He did call Light his only friend..."

"He did?" Ide asked, startled.

"That is an interesting fact," Near murmured. He lifted up a Transformer toy and zoomed it through the air, eyes fixed on it. "But Aizawa is incorrect. I used the word 'attraction' because Light and L were lovers. I believe that is a main reason for L giving up his position to save Kira's life."

Shock swept through the Japanese investigators. Matsuda's eyes widened. "But-- he had MisaMisa!" he blurted. "Why would a guy with such a cute girlfriend be gay?"

"That isn't the important thing," Aizawa grumbled, frowning at this information. Ide seemed startled, but as he hadn't known Light in the first place, it wasn't expected to affect him much. Mogi had merely nodded slightly as though this were something he had suspected for months and just hadn't seen a reason to mention. Disturbed by that, Aizawa put it aside to think on later. He leaned forward, noticing Chief Yagami out of the corner of his eyes. The man was staring at the ceiling with a forsaken look. "What evidence led you to that conclusion?" Aizawa demanded of Near. "I'm sure there's some other explanation..."

Near tilted his head, turning the Transformer upside down and staring at it. "What other explanation would Aizawa-san offer on security footage of L and Light--"

"I don't want to hear this," Chief Yagami stated rudely. He stood, facing down and with his hands clenched. From Aizawa's position, he could see a fine tremor running through the composed man. "I stayed with the investigation until you arrived and decided if I was needed. But I've come to the decision that I can't participate... It's my failing. I should stay and see that my son is brought to justice, but all I can think about..." He took an unsteady breath, then bowed. Lifting his head, he pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Forgive me for being a useless man, but I can not stay here. I need to return home and do what I can for my wife and Sayu... If the information is coming out soon that Light is Kira, I'll need to be with them."

"Of course..." Near nodded, a finger curling back into his hair. "Thank you for staying until I arrived. We will be making the news statement tomorrow. Take tonight to move yourself and your family to a place where the public can not easily find you; Kira supporters and haters may attempt to seek out the family of Kira. In this case, it is most convenient that the family of Amane Misa is already dead..."

"That isn't the sort of thing you should say," Chief Yagami chided the young genius stiffly. He turned to his detectives, seeming briefly at a loss.

Standing, Aizawa gripped his Chief's shoulders, nodding to him. "It's been a pleasure to work with you, sir..." Dropping his hands, he shared a mutual bow with his superior.

The other detectives said their farewells in much the same way. True to Matsuda's character, he rose from his bow with tears filling his eyes, and only Aizawa putting a hasty hand to the younger man's shoulder kept Matsuda from flinging himself at Chief Yagami for a hug. Aizawa suspected Matsuda had had too much affection from his mother as a child. Chief Yagami gave Aizawa a subtle nod of gratitude for the save. He nodded to Near and wished them luck, then left.

LxLxL

The investigation progressed slowly that night, with both sides still getting used to each other. Matsuda also insisted on continually addressing Near as if he were a normal ten year old and not a genius thirteen year old.

Late in the evening, Aizawa finally got into his car and headed past the building's underground security and out into the street. Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck at how stressful the day had been.

In his pocket, his phone rang. Curious, he pulled it out, seeing his daughter's picture on the small window. Flipping it open, he answered. "Yumi-chan?"

"Guess again." The voice that had answered was scrambled, making it impossible to analyze. Terror gripped Aizawa. "Keep driving, detective," the voice in his ear commanded. "Don't make anyone upstairs suspicious. Now, if you value your daughter's life, there are a few questions you'll need to answer for us..."

With one hand clenched on the wheel, Aizawa forced himself to think past his panic and not wreck the car. _Yumi...!_

LxLxL

Mello lay sprawled on the couch in he and Matt's small apartment in the Kanto region of Japan. A pink, glitter-and-sticker covered phone dangled lazily by his ear and with his free hand he held a small voice distorter. A Heckler & Koch USP rested on his pleather-clad stomach. During the week he and Matt had been waiting for Near to arrive, they'd acquired the apartment and been staking out the Kira investigational headquarters. Then, bored out of their minds for several days, the boys had gone shopping. Mello had taken to the stores for new clothes and had dipped a toe into the underworld of Japan to pick up a gun (as well as a fresh supply of chocolate). Matt had returned with several bags of new games.

Across the couch from Mello sat a young girl of five to seven years, school uniform still on and a sulk to her mouth.

"Are you going to cooperate?" Mello spoke in Japanese into the distorter with the phone on mute, recording the sound and holding it to the phone while playing it. When Near had started taking classes in foreign languages that L knew, Mello had, of course, jumped into them with violent determination. He had dragged Matt with him. It occurred to him now that he'd never thought a foreign language course would be so useful in a kidnapping.

"What do you want?" came the voice on the other line. From the clipped tone, Aizawa was trying to control his fear and anger to keep from doing something rash. It was a good move.

Mute again, and again Mello recorded his words before playing them. The method was crude, but had cost under seven dollars online and served its purpose adequately. "I'm going to need information. I know that you're in the Kira investigation. I'll need everything you know on Kira... and everything you've learned from Near. I know some information already, so be careful. If you're lying, I'll find out, and Yumi will suffer." Yumi stuck her tongue out at the blond, but eyed his gun nervously when he touched it lightly.

Shocked silence was Aizawa's immediate response and Mello imagined the man desperately trying to think of a way out of the situation that wouldn't involve betraying the other detectives or giving away sensitive information. Finally, he cursed. "I need to know that Yumi is all right. Put her on," Aizawa commanded.

"Say please," Mello ordered, smirking.

A brief pause, and Aizawa spoke more softly. "Please, I need to talk to her..."

Mello shrugged and tossed Yumi her phone. The girl scrambled to catch it, then put it to her ear. "Papa!" she cried happily, squirming on the couch. "No, Yumi's fine. Papa, make him bring the nice kidnapper back! I hate this one, he's got bad hair and he won't give Yumi any chocolate!"

Mello glared at her for the comment, glad that Matt wasn't there to mock him for it. Still, picturing Aizawa trying to wrap his mind around Yumi's words was hilarious. Yumi's description of Mello would be more than enough for Near to determine who he was when Aizawa would undoubtedly explain what he'd done later, but Mello was counting on that. In any case, the voice changer was only to make Aizawa more inclined to believe his threat; hearing a fourteen year old speaking wasn't nearly as intimidating.

Still listening, Yumi slumped her shoulders and pouted. "I don't want to stay here! ...Fine, I'll be good..." She sighed. "Love you too, papa." Looking straight at Mello, she gave the older boy a defiant look before thrusting her phone at him imperiously.

Taking the phone, Mello dropped back on the couch. Hitting mute again, he addressed Yumi. "Relax, brat. The 'nice kidnapper' will be back as soon as he can. If you try to steal my chocolate again, you'll get fat and your papa will hate you." Offended, Yumi kicked him, and Mello made an abrupt move toward her with a threatening look. Squeaking, Yumi bolted from the couch, stopped herself, then brushed at her skirt before going to the TV and starting up one of Matt's games. Matt had been teaching Yumi the joys of a first person shooter. It was so cute Mello could vomit.

Child subdued, Mello turned his attention back to the phone, where Aizawa had begun to panic at the extended silence. "I'm still here," Mello's distorted voice assured the detective. "I was teaching your daughter manners. Now. Find somewhere to park where you won't be interrupted; and remember, I'll know it if you're lying."

LxLxL

Aizawa did as he was ordered, and Yumi played games quietly while Mello interrogated her father on the Kira investigation. Twenty minutes into the conversation Matt entered the room, having taken a bus. He'd been stationed in the building across from the Kira investigation, hanging out in lobbies and hallways that had windows and moving occasionally to avoid drawing attention to himself.

Upon seeing Aizawa's vehicle leaving the headquarters building, he'd texted Mello and headed out. Lighting a cigarette compulsively as he entered their living area-- hours watching for Aizawa had felt like a non-smoking section of Hell-- Matt took a deep drag and let out a smoke-filled sigh as he relaxed.

Turning to wave happily at him, Yumi frowned a the boy sternly as he walked over to her. "Smoking kills!" she whispered loudly to avoid interrupting Mello's conversation.

"So does being a cop," Matt retorted, resting his cigarette between his lips. "But you still like your dad, right?" Sitting beside her, Matt leaned over to restart the game for two players. "Mello been treating you all right?"

Yumi fidgeted, glaring over her shoulder at Mello, her chin-length bob moving with her action. She was still at an age where her anger was cute and not obnoxious. "He's mean!"

Matt smiled, following her gaze to his tempestuous friend. Mello flipped him off in greeting, still concentrating on the phone, and Matt laughed. "Yeah, I noticed. Tell him glaring will give him wrinkles," he told Yumi. She brightened and opened her mouth, and he held up his hands hastily. "I was joking! He might shoot you. Seriously. Try flattery. It's always better to be nice to people you don't like; it throws them off." He grinned at Mello. "He's never learned that. I think trying to be nice to his enemies would kill him."

Hitting the mute button again, Mello gave them both a suspicious look. "What the fuck are you two talking about? Why do you keep staring at me?"

Yumi got a peculiar expression like she was biting into a lemon, and Matt nudged her with an elbow. She sighed. "...I'm sorry I said your hair is ugly," she tried.

Mello stared. Matt bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing, then took another drag on his cigarette to hide his expression. "...Well, quit saying shit about me. Find another subject," the blond ordered. "Freaks." Shaking his head, disturbed, Mello turned the sound back on the phone.

Matt looked to Yumi. Yumi made a face. "He didn't tell you to fuck off," Matt pointed out helpfully. "That's like saying 'apology accepted.'"

Yumi rolled her eyes and looked back to the game as the options screen came up. "...I don't want to be nice to him," she decided firmly, keeping her voice down. "He's making papa sad."

Adjusting his goggles, Matt considered. "Sometimes events are out of our hands. You may as well make the best of the situation; you're with us for now. Your dad's cooperating, so we'll confirm the facts and let you go home soon."

Frowning as she listened to this, Yumi started a new game and didn't respond. Hitting the buttons on automatic as his eyes tracked the movements on the screen, Matt let his mind return to Mello.

Kidnapping the girl was a risky move. If it could catch them up to Near, however, it would be worth it. Then all they had to do was chase down two of the smartest men in the world with a week-long handicap cooling the trail.

Life with Mello always had been full of surprises.

* * *

**A/N:**

For this chapter, I'd like to mention that you really can find anything online. Huh. I decided on the HK USP because it's a decent gun... Also originally because the gun comes in a compact model that would fit Mello's hand better. Then I thought about it. Mello, buying a smaller gun because he's fourteen and his hands are small? Yeah right. His hands can grow, his inferiority complex is too much for a little gun. I get this weird feeling that accepting a smaller gun would be to him like saying he couldn't 'handle' the normal size.

Extreme Ways is by Moby.

Comment responses:

Shadowsole: Thanks!

Bob Da Peach: That's fine! I'm glad you replied on chapter 2, so it evens out. I'm glad you're liking the sequel so far! We're just getting into the complications now. They make me happy.

Impervious Marr: Thanks for replying to 2, though! Thank you thank you for the compliments, I'm concerned with characterizing Mello right but I'm working on him. Near seems pretty easy to me, but we'll see how that works out later.

SonokoTao: He's weirdly adorable, he grew on me. It took months, but it happened-- I just started liking him and wondering why. Glad you're enjoying it!

Idol: Sorry! That sort of information will be quite a bit later-- they're still making the first moves now... I really need to make a clear plot for myself. Hmm...

TUK224: Thank you very much! I'm trying.


	4. Weapon of Choice

Title: Weapon of Choice

Disclaimer: Death Note isn't mine. If it were... this is pretty much what would have happened, actually.

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Kira/L

Comments: L and Kira are back! Yay. I had to edit this and reply to comments within fifteen minutes so I can run to work, I'm getting behind!

There's a news report mentioned in this episode that gives statistics; these statistics were made from responses I received on AFF when I posted the epilogue to Goodnight Moon there-- I had asked everyone to please answer how they would feel if this situation occurred and it was discovered that Kira had run off with an investigator on the case and whether or not they'd support Kira. So! I finally got to use the results from that; it took longer than I'd anticipated.

* * *

Aizawa's feet dragged when he finally made it into headquarters the next morning. He was two hours late and obviously hadn't slept the night before, tie slightly askew and with an almost tangible tension about him.

When he stepped into the investigation room Matsuda leapt to his feet and rushed over. "Aizawa! I called three times, what happened? Were you in a wreck? Eriko-chan wouldn't tell me where you were either--"

"Don't call my wife that," Aizawa snapped with a tired irritability. Matsuda ducked his head in embarrassed acknowledgment, and Aizawa turned his eyes to Near, where the boy had taken advantage of the vast room size to start a Lego city populated by robots and action figures. Hands clenching, he glared at the child. "Yumi was kidnapped last night," he stated flatly. In spite of his efforts, anger and an edge of the terror he'd spent the night with threatened to take over his tone.

Matsuda and Ide gasped, and even Mogi straightened his shoulders and looked concerned. Near paused for a fraction of an instant before placing another block on the toy wall. "...I see. And you're blaming me for this... I assure you, I have no reason for having your daughter kidnapped."

"So it's only a coincidence that she was taken the night you show up? The kidnapper knows you," Aizawa spat out. He took a step toward Near and Rester calmly stepped between them, arms folded on his solid chest as he watched Aizawa with cool eyes that dared him to try something. Stopping, Aizawa hung his head and clenched his fists, trying to regain control.

"I never said it was a coincidence. You spoke to the kidnapper...? What can you remember about his voice?"

"How did you know it was a man?" Matsuda demanded, looking betrayed.

Ide grimaced. "It's just an assumption, Matsuda."

"But-- well-- yeah, that makes sense, I guess..." Matsuda frowned, lapsing into silence. The others in the room ignored him.

"He had his voice disguised, but Yumi mentioned that he had bad hair and that the other kidnapper was... nice to her," Aizawa replied, finding the last words difficult to say. He'd raised his daughter well, but sometimes her social nature could become a problem. "She arrived home in a taxi this morning, but they'd put her into it from a street she didn't know."

"Did she say anything else...?" Near asked thoughtfully.

"..." Aizawa took a deep breath, calming himself. "Yes. I questioned her again when she got back, trying to figure out the details. She said that the nice kidnapper played games with her and had sunglasses on, and that the other one dressed like a girl and bleached his hair. She thought they were American, maybe in their early twenties."

"Your daughter was incorrect," Near observed idly. A thin robot toy with long, skinny legs and a bullet-shaped head was added to one tower. "I do know the people who kidnapped your daughter, Aizawa-san. It's a surprise that they would do something like this... but only because I assumed it would take Mello more than a week to disregard the law and take matters into his own hand. He's moving quickly..."

"Mero..." Matsuda attempted, muttering to himself. "Meromero?" Ide pulled Matsuda away before Aizawa could lose his temper completely and attack the other detective.

Near abandoned his toys briefly in favor of playing with his hair again. "I assume he wanted information on what we were doing in return for your daughter. Did you tell him everything?"

Taking a deep, painful breath at this added shame he'd been trying to avoid, Aizawa nodded and closed his eyes.

Seeming to sense the nod without looking over, Near tilted his head. "Good. Mello was second-in-line to becoming L's successor, but is too prideful to request the information and help. Hopefully he will leave capturing L to me immediately and turn his focus to stealing the Misa-Kira's notebook..." He tilted his head back the other way. "Though Mello should not be allowed possession of a notebook under any circumstances."

"If you know who he is, we can capture him," Aizawa pointed out stiffly. The child thought a couple of kidnappers knowing about the Death Note was a good thing? "He's a danger to the investigation, and I don't appreciate being used."

"Most people don't," Near pointed out. "Mello is dangerous, yes, but not to the investigation. It may even help us-- I just need to create a scenario where his emotional reactions are taken into account." Apparently considering the matter closed, Near looked over at the other detectives. "Mogi-san, do you have the information I requested on the news networks?" Mogi responded with a slight nod. "Excellent. We'll make the broadcast as soon as possible, then."

Gritting his teeth, Aizawa tried to step around Rester and failed as the larger man turned with him. "You can't just let them get away! What if they do this again? I won't have my family used against me every time Mello needs information!"

"I doubt he'll reuse that tactic," Near offered placidly. "He might threaten you with Yumi again, but he may not be in Japan much longer, so her being kidnapped again would be inconvenient to Mello. We still can't afford to have your families protected constantly... If the risk is too great, you may leave the investigation and stay home. If I recall, you did leave the investigation before..."

Turning his back on Near, Aizawa struggled for control against his fury. _He really is just like L...! Neither of them can see anyone but themselves_. "I'm not leaving again."

"Why?" Near asked curiously. Crawling into the center of his city, he began to add more buildings, stretching on his stomach with his ankles neatly crossed. "Mello could not stand to work with me either, and struck out on his own to try to defeat me. When you left the investigation before, you mobilized the police when they were needed and salvaged the capture of Higuchi-Kira. It may be useful to have another agent in the field gathering information."

"You..." Aizawa glared at Near in disgust. "You really don't care about anyone, do you? How were you raised? You dismiss people like they're nothing!"

"Not nothing," Near corrected. "Some people can be important pieces to the puzzle. Some of them..." Studying a lego critically and deeming it unworthy due to some flaw only he had noticed, Near cast the small block from his toy empire. It bounced several times on the floor before sliding to a stop near the wall for Watari to clean up later. "Are not as useful."

Aizawa stared at Mello, then abruptly headed for the door. Matsuda stopped him with a shout. "Aizawa! Where are you going?"

"Home, to see my daughter," Aizawa replied shortly. "I'm not leaving the investigation, but if I'm around the kid any longer right now I'll kill him myself and do Light a favor."

Matsuda's mouth fell open, but Ide crossed his arms on his chest and nodded agreement. "I'd feel the same way, definitely."

Mogi looked after Aizawa, his controlled expression as difficult to read as Near's.

In the following silence, Near pulled himself to a sitting position to reach the top of his newest tower. "We'll begin the broadcast now."

LxLxL

Alone in a vast desert landscape populated with oddly round, rock-like protrusions, Ryuk observed the human world. His arm was twisted over his dangerously tilted head, but his legs hadn't yet become so contorted by his lack of apples that they would cause him to lose the ability to function.

He had been watching Light and Misa for the past week, wondering exactly how long Light needed him to wait. Whenever he'd looked down on Light the young genius appeared to be alone with L, though their locations continually changed. Light wasn't in jail and the other humans had disappeared. It looked interesting enough, but the shinigami thought that it might just be another trap for Light-- if he showed up too soon, he might ruin all of the fun.

That logic had gotten him through the last few days. Now, however, he saw the dark-haired human pull a plate closer to himself. He was seated beside Light on a couch in a hotel room, and had just had a large collection of sweets sent up. Untwisting, Ryuk leaned closer to the portal, hands on the smooth stone sides as his inhuman eyes focused avariciously on the small plate of cut apples. L picked up a slice, swirled it liberally in a caramel dip and placed it in his mouth. Ryuk whimpered, arms winding around himself again and foot approaching his head.

That was all he could take. He'd go down there himself and listen-- if the situation was safe, he'd give Light his Death Note and get all of the apples he could eat. Even if the situation was bad, maybe Light would toss him an apple. He'd probably have to run some sort of errand for him, but at this point even flying around to find cameras again would be worth it.

Decided, Ryuk stepped away from the portal and took wing, gliding for the only entrance to the human world. Things would finally be fun again!

LxLxL

"...Hour two of Kira Watch, your center for constant updates of Kira information..."

Sipping his black tea with its single sugar cube, Kira kept his eyes fixed on the screen. It had been two hours since the news had been released worldwide from "L" that the main suspects for being the first and second Kira were Light Yagami and Amane Misa. Their pictures had been shown beside their names. Misa and Light were listed as at large, with Light being assisted by a top investigator of the Kira case who went by the name Ryuuzaki. Light had commented on that sarcastically, and L had responded that divulging L's real identity would make the position of L useless to Near and the investigation. It could also cause a stirring of public sentiment turning in Kira's favor if it became known that even the greatest detective in the world had apparently been swayed by Kira.

Within the two hours since the announcement, a popular world news station had started up Kira Watch, putting on an attractive female announcer and running constant statistics as they gathered interviews and information on public opinion. They had already run what information they could gather on both Misa and Light, and though hints and supposed sightings of the two had been rampant among people responding to the station, none of the informants so far had been remotely accurate on L and Kira's travels. People were still being cautious about showing the negative reviews of Kira, but after several hours none of those speaking out against the killer had dropped dead. Kira suspected that somewhere, Misa was holding her Death Note and ranting at their audacity, but as long as she kept to his ideals and didn't start murdering people for simply arguing against him again he had no reason to worry.

During that time, the number of sweets on the coffee table in their room of the Hotel Hyundai in Vladivostok had increased exponentially. Kira's initial disgust had changed gradually to a morbid amusement as L finished plate after plate of cake and candy, dark eyes switching between the television and his laptop as his mind worked angles.

"...There is a website requesting that Kira supporters send in false reports of our whereabouts," L stated expressionlessly. "It's already had several thousand hits. I believe this to be the cause of much of the confusion."

Kira smirked, unable to hide his amusement and seeing no reason to. "I had wondered how the public would react, but this is better than I had expected."

On the news, the woman was still reading statistics, a colored logo beside her head showing Light and Misa with the words, "The faces of Kira!" printed below. Light's was obviously a school photo, showing him smiling charmingly with his hair and clothes perfect. Misa's was a production photo with her Gothic Lolita clothes balancing out her bright smile and friendly nature. Kira reflected that many people would be swayed to his side simply from seeing the sort of people that he and Misa were.

"Is there any news on my family?" he asked idly, glancing again at L.

Swallowing a bite of cake, L kept his eyes on the notebook's screen. "The house is still empty, and it's assumed they were moved to a safe location." Bringing up a real-time video, he turned the laptop slightly to show Kira his old home, where Kira supporters had been placing photos of lost loved-ones avenged by the murderer beside tributes and candles. A vigil of supporters kept the impromptu shrine safe while being ringed by masked Kira protestors holding signs demanding real justice and for the vigilante to be brought before a court.

"Hmm... Looks ugly. The police should be stepping in soon before they start fighting," Kira commented.

"It wouldn't amuse you to see your supporters defend you?" L deadpanned.

"I prefer things to be peaceful, Ryuu-- L," Kira chided. He'd avoided speaking to L whenever possible for the last few days, but the news report had distracted him from his anger at the detective. "That sort of fighting is inevitable now, but hopefully it won't turn public sentiment away..." Musing, he rested his chin on his interlaced hands, gaze on the screen again.

"...online survey, forty percent support Kira to some degree even now, while slightly under fifty percent disapprove of him. Ten percent remained undecided... Of those anti-Kira, several have equated Light Yagami to Hitler, stating that one man should not wield the power of judge, jury and executioner... Others have been swayed by knowledge of Light's identity as an upstanding student and morally upright young man and now consider themselves Kira supporters." The anchorwoman related these facts in a clear, calm voice, expression not betraying her feelings on the matter in the slightest. Apparently, she had decided that if she were only reporting information, Kira would have no reason to kill her. "Several survey-takers mentioned that they themselves would have taken matters into their own hands if given Kira's powers. One in particular, a 'Hellagoddess', appeared to take the survey as a job interview, claiming that she would make a better Kira than Yagami..."

Attention caught, L looked up at the screen. "...Hmm, Kira-kun has competition?" L queried blandly. He pulled a plate of apple slices to himself without looking at them. Trying a bite, he leaned forward and let the uneaten piece drop from his mouth to the plate. Studying the table's contents, he snagged a small bowl of caramel dip and pulled it closer, drowning the apple in that and taking a more satisfied bite.

"Of course she isn't competition," Kira replied, tone slightly caustic. Still, the criticisms of the un-initiated could be irritating. He tried to look at them as an amusement instead; eventually, all protest against him would be kept to useless muttering out of the way of his ideal kingdom.

More caramel and L took another bite. "Are you certain? You acquired a Death Note. Is it difficult to imagine 'Hellagoddess' doing the same?"

"I can't even believe you said that pseudonym." Kira shook his head, frowning at L. "It's an entirely different situation, L. Besides, there are only two notebooks circulating..." trailing off, Kira looked over his shoulder at a familiar rustle of wings. Sitting up, he gave a slow smile that could only be described as 'evil'.

"Is this a good time now?" Ryuk asked, still contorted. He held the Death Note toward Kira. "I'd kill for an apple."

Kira sighed. "I might ask you to, but unfortunately Rem tried that and it won't work now," he told Ryuk wryly.

Beside him, L froze with an apple slice partway to his mouth. He turned his eyes slowly behind himself as though expecting to see a nightmare come true.

Reaching over, Kira snagged the apple slice from L's limp fingers and tossed the morsel to Ryuk. Laughing, Ryuk took it and immediately shoved it into his mouth. Kira accepted the notebook as Ryuk licked his fingers hungrily and climbed over the couch to get more apple.

L stared at the black notebook that had appeared from thin air into Kira's hand. His thumb had returned to his mouth and his eyes were wide in his pale skin. Keeping a firm hold on the Death Note, Kira smirked and generously held it toward L. With his free hand, L hesitantly placed his fingers on the note. He fell to his back with a gasp when he looked up at Ryuk's dark form towering above him on the couch. Not noticing, Ryuk continued to laugh and swiped the remaining pieces of apple from the plate, munching them enthusiastically while complimenting the human world. His heart earring swung erratically as he ate.

Pulling himself as far from Ryuk as he could get while remaining on the couch, L continued to stare at Ryuk. His thumb returned to his mouth and blood stained his lips. "...The shinigami who loves apples..." he murmured.

Kira reclined with casual confidence, one hand resting familiarly on his Death Note. "L, meet Ryuk," he introduced, smirking in acknowledgment of L's words.

"Hyuk... He got you too, huh?" Ryuk asked, turning to L as he relaxed under the influence of the red fruit. "Light's pretty impressive..."

"Actually, L still doesn't agree with me," Kira commented. "He saved me because he couldn't stand for me to die." The last was said ironically as he arched an eyebrow at L.

"...You really have a way with people, Light," Ryuk noted, turning his eyes to the younger of the two mortals.

"I'm not sure either of you count as 'people'," corrected the aspiring god dryly. "L might technically be a human, but..."

L frowned slightly, apparently having needed a moment to swallow the thought of his world going to hell. "In what way am I not human?"

Staring down at the pallid, bony human with his black eyes ringed by dark lines and blood red on his mouth, Ryuk laughed again, walking through the coffee table and standing opposite them. "You do look kind of like a shinigami. If we got you some claws or bandages..." L blinked at him.

"In any case, this changes our situation," Kira mused. "We're no longer on the defensive. Misa's been doing a good enough job with the reported criminals, but I'll be able to get those in the database not being reported. I can use the Kira supporters who accept my identity as well..."

"You'll keep judging..." L echoed. His hands were clenched on his drawn-up knees and his face was so controlled Kira couldn't actually decipher his thoughts.

"Of course. That's been the plan all along, L," Kira asserted calmly. Opening his Death Note, he flipped through the pages, looking over Misa's work. "I'm lucky she hasn't been mis-writing the criminal's names," he commented with a long-suffering sigh. A smile quirked his mouth and he looked over at L, pretending not to notice L's continued shock. "Do you know, the first few days I had the notebook I was writing so much my hand actually sprained. It's a good thing I'm ambidextrous or I may have needed to slow down..." Enjoying himself sadistically, Kira took another sip of tea.

"That would have been horrible for you," L replied tonelessly. Kira managed not to laugh.

This day was turning out perfectly. He hadn't been feeling himself lately, losing sleep and fighting himself in dreams, but everything was falling into place. Kira was certain that if he were to sleep right then, his night would pass dreamlessly once more, with only plans and scenarios unfolding in his mind.

* * *

**A/N:**

Finally got to this chapter! It took much longer than I expected. Weapon of Choice is by Fatboy Slim. If you haven't seen the video for it, do so-- Christopher Walken dancing and flying is more than worth it. Oh! Umm, earlier, when Matsuda tries to say Mello and says meromero... It's a Japanese onomatopoeia for being falling down drunk. Matsuda will now always think of drinking when he tries to remember Mello's name.

Next chapter's a short one, but it explains L's thinking, so hopefully is worth it!

Comment responses:

Shadowsole: Thanks! I don't think I could write something without at least a little humor, even if it's morbid humor or tongue-in-cheek.

Impervious Marr: Thank you thank you! There will be more Mello and Matt later, so we'll see how IC I can keep them. Near is fun. And yesss, Soichirou is one of the saddest chars in DN. One of the saddest in this story, too! (Isn't the gun thing true? I just couldn't write him with a small gun.)

SonokoTao: I know! I'd love to be kidnapped if it meant playing video games and making fun of Mello's hair.

yellowrose87: Yay! I'm glad it didn't bore you. Thanks for replying!

Bob Da Peach: Hope the headache got better and you got some rest!

Tarshil: Matsuda's like a big puppy, I love writing him. And it's hard to keep a kidnapping scene with an opinionated kid serious.

Amorpheous: Calling Mello fat will never get old, I think. Like calling him a girl and mocking his inferiority complex. I adore him, but he'd be so easy to tease, seriously. And yup! Matsuda's sympathy for Kira would probably be useful to everyone, but they usually just look at him as a person they're unfortunately stuck with. I think L is much more intelligent because he's older and his IQ has had more time to climb, but that Near's abilities are impressive nonetheless.

SoraXNamine: That's okay! Thanks for reviewing that one. I'm glad you're interested!

dreamsofpalmtrees: Did so! It was a little later than usual because I got distracted writing last night and forgot to update... oops!


	5. Relax

Chapter Title : Relax

Disclaimer: Death Note isn't mine. If it were... this is pretty much what would have happened, actually.

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Kira/L

Comments: Since a lot of people requested it, L's thoughts! A lot of this chapter really surprised me while writing it. Also, I'm so sorry! This chapter is so short... The next one's almost three times longer, so that's something to look forward to?

Also, since GM finished I've gotten a few thousand extra hits on it-- it's over 10,000 now. I have no idea why! I'm baffled. Thank you to everybody who's staying with me and reading these stories...

* * *

It was three in the morning, but L had yet to notice the chill.

Curled in an armchair beside the bed, he watched Kira sleep. Moonlight filtering through the blinds cast a gentle light on the murderer as Kira rested with one hand on the pillow beside his face. Lately, L had become used to the younger man passing his nights restlessly, brow furrowing as he would occasionally murmur too quietly for L to hear. Two nights ago, L had pressed his ear almost to Kira's lips and had caught his name. He had nearly fallen on Kira in his surprise, but had remained in place, catching enough from the bits and pieces to understand that Kira was arguing with himself and that the argument centered around L.

This interesting information had been stored away to think on often, and L hadn't mentioned to Kira that the other man spoke in his sleep when under pressure.

Kira's undisturbed slumber now worried L more than anything that had occurred since Rem had attempted to kill him.

Shifting slightly, L pressed his lips to his newly re-bandaged thumb. His eyes were drawn briefly to the dark shape of the door, where a flickering light from the space beneath and distant sounds indicated Ryuk entertaining himself with the television while Kira slept.

_Another shinigami..._ Though he had finally recovered from his shock, the detective hadn't quite been able to pull himself from the depression that had ensued following the arrival of Ryuk. Even now his thoughts felt sluggish and stunned, with only three lines of thought active rather than the seven or more he could normally focus on at a time. He had known that Kira had a ninety-percent chance of refusing to abandon his memories, but had hoped against logic that during their time together he could coerce the well-intentioned killer to revert to Light again. It would have been somewhat difficult to explain to Light their need for secrecy and constant moving, but he felt that Light would have been able to handle the experience.

Kira's own attitude had begun to make L think that the possibility was slightly higher than ten percent after all. Unable to sleep and bored, Kira had come to pass the time with L when they weren't in flight doing the mental exercises the Wammy House had raised L with in place of normal games. The detective had even begun to present cases he had solved in the past under various aliases to Kira in the form of logic puzzles, describing scenes, suspects and information upon Kira's requests and watching in fascination as Kira worked through them one by one. Though it offered too much information about himself, L was even toying with the idea of mentioning the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases...

Sighing inaudibly, L dragged his distant gaze back to Kira, his sharp mind that never rested analyzing and memorizing the effects of the indirect glow of the moon on Kira's features.

These effects were no different on Kira than they had been on Light. Somehow, this seemed incongruous to L... It felt wrong that Light and Kira should look identical when they slept when almost everything else had changed. Kira was still controlled as Light had been, but where Light had purity and a strong sense of morality, Kira's mind was twisted into believing that his path of murder and fear was somehow justified... righteous.

Still, it couldn't be denied that Kira had Light's charm and skills at manipulating others to do his will. His temper remained as well, and L was looking forward to the time when they would fight as he and Light had always done. Without the chain and with Kira's more volatile personality, he suspected that their fight wouldn't end only due to exhaustion. Testing the perfectionistic young man's real abilities at combat was also enticing. Then again...

_...Maybe fighting should be avoided..._ L mused regretfully. _I suspect that Kira-kun or myself would need medical attention afterward._ His large eyes blinked. _On second thought, purchasing a medical kit would be preferable. _

Giving in to an impulse, L stretched himself from the armchair to crawl carefully to the covers, using his arm to keep himself lifted above Kira. How many differences were there, really? In the end, Light and Kira were the same person, inhabiting one body and sharing a mind. Kira showed the dark extremes that Light's idealism had been turned to when the boy had been exposed to more power than a mortal should wield. Like many other intelligent, ambitious minds given the tools to change the world in their image, Light had taken his good intentions and paved a road to hell for thousands. That the majority of those killed by Kira had been the scum of the world did not justify his actions.

Light's own innocence and purity becoming this was the most tragic thing about the Kira case; if he had never been given the Death Note, the chances were high that Light would have become perhaps the greatest policeman the world had seen, a match to L but with a strong sense of justice and a detestation for allowing corruption to thrive. He would have enjoyed working with Light in that situation. A small, wistful part of L that he had analyzed and dismissed as useless regretted that this future would never come to be.

Instead, L was... here. Sitting in the dark with only his thoughts for company because the murderer was irritated by his typing and the shinigami was worthless for conversation.

His eyes traced Light's features musingly. Simple hormonal reactions couldn't explain his choices; though it was true that Light Yagami was a singularly attractive young man and the only real intelligence to match L's own, he felt that these facts were only a few facets of his decision to leave with Kira.

He hadn't abandoned everything of his former life; when he wasn't occupied speaking with Kira, L had been using the identities of several minor detectives he also played to assist police forces around the world in simple cases. These were ultimately unsatisfying, however, and he had been weighing the risks for days of resuming his work under another of his major aliases. Danuve and Erald Coil had become compromised, but L had taken on the identity of many detectives across the world at different points in his career.

The only thing stopping him would be Watari; as his liaison with the public, the older man knew everything about L. If he noticed activity from one of L's names, he might alert Near and Mello... or, on reflection, Near, as the likelihood of Mello working willingly with Near was only slightly above one percent.

L relaxed as he thought, one arm resting on his knee now as he studied his roommate. He had been going over the situation for the last week, examining it from every angle. No matter how illogical it was to remain with Kira, he couldn't bring himself to leave. The younger man's company was still something he desired, even if they often pushed each other to their limits.

At least, it always had been... Now, the Death Note was in the equation once more, and L found himself reconsidering. Hiding with an ex-murderer who might agree to revert to his innocent self was one thing; remaining there when that murderer regained his weapon and returned to his rampant killings was another. Especially as he would still be working to protect them both... Watari's last words kept returning to him. Was Kira really worth it? Was it just the memory of Light and wishful thinking that caused him to stay? Or was he really risking everything and remaining against his better judgment on the chance that whatever attraction Kira might feel would eventually be enough to change him?

L didn't actually believe in reformation. Jails were a place to keep criminals from society, not for rehabilitation. Likewise, if Kira were to begin acting as if he had changed due to L, L would attribute it to Kira's known skills at acting and manipulation being used to coerce L into remaining by his side if Kira came to the decision that L would be a decent ally in his imagined kingdom. He strongly suspected that to Kira as he was now, no one else could be considered an equal. L continuing to disagree with Kira irritated the prideful young man, but L knew without doubt that if he were to agree with Kira he would be instantly removed from any position of respect and considered an underling. 'Potential rival', 'uneasy ally'... both of these descriptions suited L much better than 'tool'.

Even now, assisting Kira had lowered the other man's estimation of L. If Kira's sense of superiority were even slightly less, L suspected that Kira would have resorted already to using L's emotions in an attempt to bring him more firmly to Kira's side. For the time being, Kira most likely assumed that if L had already risked so much to help Kira and remain with him, L was being foolish or besotted and would continue to assist him.

L wasn't certain how long it would take to earn the respect of someone like Kira. In the end, it might even come down to destroying Kira's pride. If the other man's sense of worth could be truly shattered... it might be possible to affect him.

Kira's smooth brow furrowed slightly. Without opening his eyes, he sighed. "...You're watching me again..." he murmured.

Hiding his surprise in spite of the fact that Kira wasn't looking, L tilted his head slightly. "...Kira-kun is very perceptive for a sleeping person."

"Obviously because I'm not sleeping anymore," Kira retorted dryly. His brown eyes slid open, and he took in L's position thoughtfully. "...I get the Death Note back, and _now_ you're not afraid of me?" he commented on L's relaxed pose.

"It wasn't fear of you that made me sit like this before," L pointed out.

"Yes, it was," Kira argued matter-of-factly, giving a slight yawn and managing to sound both barely conscious and smug. "You were terrified that Kira would kill you."

"...In the last week," clarified the detective, carefully neutral.

"Mm..." Kira agreed. His eyes began to close again. The heartbeats between his words and L's measured responses appeared to be long enough for his body to insist on a return to unconsciousness. "Fear of Near...?" he managed, attempting to stay in the conversation.

"...Fear of my thoughts." L's words were softer now, though his black eyes were fixed as intently as ever on the murderer.

Half-asleep already, Kira settled himself more snugly into the mattress as he considered this. His second hand drifted up to join the first at his pillow. It bumped against L's arm, and without Kira appearing to notice his fingers curled lightly around L's wrist, thumb absently brushing over the detective's pulse. The air caught in L's throat, his focus turning to Kira's hand. The thought that breathing would alert Kira to his actions was illogical, and so L took a cautious breath. Kira's hand remained, tightening slightly as the genius gave another yawn.

"Then..." Kira trailed off almost as the word started, chest rising and falling evenly again. His head turned toward his pillow once more and his fingers slackened on L's wrist.

L wondered if the younger man had taken the sentence with him into sleep, and if it would become part of another dream or work its way into a list.

It occurred to him that perhaps destroying Kira wasn't necessary... as weak as Kira might assume L to be, it appeared that he had found a backdoor into the younger man's defenses. Through his months with L as Light, Kira had become accustomed to L's presence, though they had never gotten to a point of casual touching. Even now, it seemed there could be times when Light's influence was stronger than Kira's.

Gently pulling his wrist free, L sat back again. Somehow, Kira never ceased to surprise him.

* * *

**A/N:**

Relax, Take It Easy is by Mika. I listen to this song before almost every time I write, and most times before going to sleep. And, mm, on the way to work... sometimes coming back from work... I like Mika because he dances like I do when I'm alone. (Honestly, I'm a lot like a more intelligent Matsuda with Aizawa overtones!) Oh yeah-- Kira was about to say something like, "Then what were your thoughts?" but he passed out.

Comment Responses:

OkageHime: What about that chapter brought on love?! That made me grin and laugh, though. Thanks though! I always thought Mello's name sounded like a sound-effect, so I looked it up, and was pleasantly vindicated.

Impervious Marr: I hate when connections ruin reviews! I started saving long reviews in notepad from paranoia. You saw a live-action with Near? I heard he shows up in L: Change the World but I can't find any fansubs up yet. It is driving me crazy. The phrase "I can't do anything but gurgle at them" pwned me, btw. Funniest mental image in days! I love you for reviewing, so it evens out. Thanks again!

lovova: Thanks for your reviews! I'm glad you're liking the story. I think the reason people avoid writing L and Light running off together is because it is a serious pain in the ass thinking of all of the details. It's the most complicated thing I've ever attempted writing. Fun, though.

Skyhe: Exactly! And Matt's a game-addict.

dreamsofpalmtrees: I can't resist mocking it... it's just too hard... Thanks!

Sokra: I think for me it was more of an "I'll just deny manga seven and believe this happened instead!!" thing. So more of a fantasy than a dream. But still, I'm glad you agree, and that I'm not ruining it yet!

anonymous: Yay, I'm happy a few people picked up on meromero straight-away. Otherwise the scene would probably appear totally random...

SoraXNamine: A wee bit of what L does is in the chapter after this, so you should only need to wait a few days. Thanks for staying with me!

Amorpheous: I love the picture! I don't understand how my story inspired something that complicated, though. The background's fascinating. Do the different parts have meaning, or just general coolness? Mello should hope that Matt never hears 'meromero'. I get the feeling there would be eternal mockery in it for Mello. Thank you!

geminin001928: Hmm... Kira has a dominant, egotistical personality and is currently convinced he's on a god-like level. So, as L's thoughts touched on a bit, getting to a level where Kira would allow himself to be topped will take time. Though not actually as much time as I'd originally assumed-- I had forgotten about Light's influence. The reason I call them separate names is honestly because I didn't feel like coming up with another distinction like Light vs. "old light" or "nice Light" or whatever. Calling him just Kira is pretentious and I apologize for that, but it's the same reason I switched from calling L "Ryuuzaki" to calling him "L"-- thinking of "Light" and "Ryuuzaki" as facades. Does that help? I hope to reach a point later where Kira can be called Light again-- but it would require him to have accepted Light's influence more. While he's still rejecting the part of himself that has human emotions, that won't happen.

xMotoko: Thank you so much! I'm glad it was satisfying for you and that you enjoyed the story enough to stay up to read it... thanks again!

recipe for insanity: I thought you had replied, but I checked all of the replies and saw neither name, so-- hello! Nice to meet you, glad you've been reading, and thanks for replying!


	6. Had Enough

Chapter Title: Had Enough

Disclaimer: Death Note isn't mine. If it were... this is pretty much what would have happened, actually.

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Kira/L

Comments: I'm so unhappy with this chapter! Aside from that, things will be rolling along in the story quickly in the next few chapters, and I have out to chapter ten planned. We'll see what happens after that! Also, I posted another DN story-starter called "Arcadia" if you want to check that out. I may write on it off-and-on... we'll see.

You've reached the end of my store of chapters, lovelies. From here on in we'll see how quickly I can post for you all-- I have several morning shifts next week that kill me, and I'm going up to WA to visit family toward the end of that week. Concentrating at my mom's is incredibly difficult. I'll try to keep it from being too long, though!

* * *

By eight the next morning, L was curled as customary on the couch, stirring his tea with a lollipop. Extensive tips to the help had inspired the workers at the Hotel Hyundai to keep on top of procuring new sweets for the reclusive detective. Additional tips had even found Ryuk a supply of apples, and the shinigami was delightedly working his way through a small pile.

L didn't bother looking up when Kira exited the shower in a cloud of steam. Fully dressed and hair perfect, the murderer came into the room with a slight frown for Ryuk. "...I trust the two of you weren't bored in my absence?" he asked dryly.

The dark-haired detective rolled his eyes to Kira, then returned to his food. Ryuk paused before tossing the core of his apple into his mouth. He seemed to be grinning more widely than usual.

"..." Mildly annoyed but hiding it, Kira looked between the two suspiciously as he approached the couch. He stopped cold as his eyes took in the sundae dish sitting in the conspicuous hole left by his Death Note. Irrational fear gripped him for an instant as he worried that L had destroyed it-- but with the false rule to protect it, that wasn't a concern. Besides, his memories were still intact and Ryuk was there. Calming himself, he crossed his arms on his chest and gave L a Look. "What did you do with it?" he demanded harshly.

L widened his eyes at Kira. "What do you mean, Kira-kun?"

Kira glared. "You know damn well what I mean," he responded curtly. Controlling himself, he stepped closer to glare threateningly down at the unimpressed older man. "The Death Note, L. Where did you hide it?"

"...Kira-kun... logically speaking, why would I tell you?" L asked, words flat but implying sarcastic inquiry. He discarded a cherry from the top of the sundae and pulled it closer, taking a scoop.

Grimacing in annoyance, Kira turned to Ryuk. "Well? You've been in here the whole time. Where did he put it?"

"Hyuk... You're right, L, this is pretty fun," Ryuk spoke, disjointed eyes staring in opposite directions as he turned his face toward L.

"You two were discussing me?" Kira asked in clipped tones.

"Not really," L corrected, digging into his ice-cream with methodical enjoyment. "I was trying to determine how Ryuk acts and in what ways he might be useful. I found one," he added helpfully, scooping up a syrup-drenched spoonful of ice-cream.

"Obviously..." Kira replied irritably. Sighing, he surveyed the room before going to the entertainment center, looking behind it. "...Are we leaving again today? Keeping the Death Note here would be careless," he pointed out. "If some maid found it..."

"I do not believe they clean that thoroughly," L mused. "...Anyway, we must remain here at least another day. Though we've always gone disguised, there is a chance that Kira-kun will be recognized when we go into the world again."

Continuing to search that corner of the suite thoroughly, Kira finished empty-handed. Irritation turning swiftly to a deep anger as Ryuk continued to laugh at him, the brunet moved on, turning the paintings on the wall to the side just in case the Note was taped behind them somehow.

The curtains. The couch-- making L scuttle briefly from the cushion to look beneath him. Under the couch. The bedroom. Even the mini-fridge... all were searched carefully and without result.

Returning to the sofa, Kira dropped onto it with anger radiating from himself. He cast L an annoyed look as the other man slurped noisily on his spoon, sundae long-gone and a heavily sweetened cup of Earl Grey in front of him now. "Kira-kun is giving up?" he suggested.

"...Of course not," Kira scoffed, frowning. "I was only pausing to think. Besides, I haven't even eaten yet..." Standing again, he went to the room's phone and dialed the Korean restaurant attached to the hotel. He ordered and bribed one of the maids into delivering his food for him.

Vladivostok was much more appealing to Kira than Tuscany had been; not only was Russian one of the languages he'd made a point of learning, but the city's location on the Eastern coast of Russia meant that their hotel had a wide selection of Oriental cuisine. The city's pollution wasn't even a concern to him, as they wouldn't be staying long enough to risk their health and remained indoors in any case.

As he waited for the food-- a traditional Japanese breakfast of miso soup, rice and nattou-- Kira prowled the suite once more, searching any places he may have missed the first time around and crouching to glance at the underside of the coffee table L had covered in sweets. Giving up reluctantly, he cast L and his desserts a properly scathing look. L remained unaffected. "...Humans can't survive on that. I've seen you take vitamin supplements, but that won't replace real nutrition. Having an intelligent mind doesn't give you the unnatural ability to survive solely on candy and cake."

"...I drink tea as well," L remarked, sipping at the drink in question to make his point.

Ryuk chuckled. "Maybe he really _is_ a shinigami, Light. We don't need to eat, after all..."

"And yet you act like you would die without your apples," Kira commented sardonically.

Ryuk tilted his head. "Well... apples are good! They're really, really good. I don't understand how you guys can go days without eating them..." He tossed another apple core into his mouth and gave a very human sigh of satisfaction.

Kira rolled his eyes.

A short time later there was a knock on the door. From the coffee table, Kira grabbed his current disguise for the public-- a high-quality wig and a pair of stylish false-glasses-- and adjusted them on himself with what was becoming accustomed ease. He looked down at L and L studied his appearance before reaching up to adjust the fake hair slightly. Nodding in thanks, Kira went to the door and retrieved his breakfast with a charming smile and brief chitchat with the deliverer. He slipped the young woman a few extra bills and she beamed broadly, bobbing her thanks and giving him a coy smile.

Thanking her politely and without interest, Kira shut the door and carefully moved into the room with his tray after re-locking their suite. "...You're a bad influence on them. She managed to bring a piece of cake from the café as well..." he commented sardonically. He gave the mess of plates on the table a pointed look and L sighed, reaching over after a brief staring contest to stack the empty dishes out of Kira's way. Kira suspected the detective only gave in because of the fresh, moist cake that was currently in Kira's possession.

When L reached automatically for the new sweet Kira blocked his hands and glared at him. "I should just throw it away. Or hide it from you until I get the Death Note back."

"...That would be illogical, Kira-kun," L pointed out, lower lip pouting. The expression was as familiar as it was childish, and Kira found himself sighing in exasperation and moving his arm.

An instant later, he frowned slightly and glanced at L before turning his attention to his soup as L took a reverent bite of the strawberry layer cake. _Why did I do that? Such a ridiculous expression should have only made me carry through with my threats..._ Still, the motion had been almost instinctive.

"...Kira-kun..." L began, speaking around the fork in his mouth with his eyes closed in bliss. He swallowed, and Kira blinked to find his eyes drawn to the distinct movement of L's Adam's Apple.

When L seemed disinclined to continue, Kira stifled another burst of irritation. "Yes?" he prompted.

"..." L tilted his head, pulling the fork out and then looking to the ceiling with the tines still resting lightly against his mouth. "Kira-kun didn't argue with me," he observed in a thoughtful, curious tone. Rather, in a flat tone that Kira could, from months of exposure to the eccentric man, recognize as having those qualities.

"...It's a piece of cake, L," Kira replied flatly. He stirred his miso soup and took a sip, deciding it wasn't nearly as good as his mother could make, but was decent enough. "It wasn't worth arguing with you over. Just because you have the maturity of a five-year-old and have hidden my Death Note doesn't mean I have to stoop to your level."

"...And yet, you normally would," L argued. He took another bite, still not looking at Kira.

The younger genius grimaced faintly. "So you assume. What are you trying to get at, L? I'm tired of this already. You can't be thinking giving you a piece of cake means that I'm Kira, since that fact has already been firmly established. So?"

"...My point is that Kira does not necessarily hate me as much as he would like to," L stated calmly.

"Your deductions are sadly mistaken." Kira took a regal sip of tea. "I wouldn't 'like' to hate you, L. I don't care about you one way or another. You're an aggravation to my existence, but at the moment you're useful enough... and you do help to alleviate my boredom."

"As Kira wishes to believe," L agreed simply. He took another bite of cake, appearing content.

"..." Gritting his teeth, Kira tried to put L from his mind, concentrating on his meal. However, the attempt to not think about a thing makes it all the more impossible, and for a genius who could never simply stop thinking this was even more true. His mind turned almost immediately to adding to a long list of reasons L's company was annoying to him and he added a note to shun the man the next time L attempted to use pouting as a means to his ends.

Kira wondered absently why the other man still retained his curled up, defensive posture. He had a nagging feeling that they had discussed this subject at some point, but strangely enough, he couldn't remember. It had something to do with L's thoughts, however...

That line of reasoning was useless. Everything the detective did was because of his thoughts. The man was like Kira-- his mind wouldn't rest. Though his constant way of sitting like that always grated mildly at Kira's sense of normalcy... it had become a part of L that seemed natural, and L's occasional reversions to his pre-Kira self were still alarming and rare.

Kira froze, bowl just above his tray. Carefully, he set the dish down and stared at it. L's pose... He had checked everywhere else, and L had known the Note would be in a hiding place no maid could find. Logically, it would also be someplace Kira would be disinclined to look. The Death Note had been on the table before his shower, which made it unlikely that it was hidden in the bathroom...

There was only one place the Note could be.

He turned a slow glare on L. Sensing it, L set his fork down and gave Kira wide eyes. At the same instant Kira lunged for him, L dodged over the arm of the couch. He landed in a roll that turned smoothly into standing again, and as he straightened into his usual crouch he held delicately aloft the Death Note. Ryuk laughed in appreciation as Kira stood and advanced on L with a dangerous gleam in his honey-colored eyes. "You've been sitting with it this whole time."

"Obviously, that is correct," L agreed. He edged past the couch and into the open area between sofa and door, and his stance seemed somehow both looser and more tense than usual as he waited for Kira to rush him. "I suspected that Kira would not be so thorough as to attempt lifting my shirt and searching me."

"Next time I'll know better," Kira drawled. "It must have been uncomfortable..." As he spoke, he paced around L, attempting to back the man into the couch or some trapped corner. L, noticing this, stopped backing away and remained where he was.

"Yes, it was," L agreed. "...However, time Kira-kun is deprived of the Death Note can be measured in lives saved."

"I'll just kill them later," Kira disagreed, eyes narrowing. He gave a feint to test L, but the older detective merely ignored his move, appearing to wait calmly.

L lifted his thumb to his mouth and Kira took the opportunity to rush at him again and attempt to land a real punch.

The detective swayed from the way of the attack effortlessly. Rather than taking advantage of Kira's outstretched arm, however, he twisted out of his reach and stood a short distance away as though mocking him.

Goaded to real anger once more, Kira aimed another punch at the infuriating detective.

This time, L took the flow of his casual evasion several steps further: as he turned aside he dropped his upper body down and jumped. His feet spun up impossibly fast, catching Kira in quick succession across his chest before he landed lightly several feet away. Swaying slightly as his feet returned to the ground, L returned to his usual slouch and looked over in time to see Kira hit the carpet. The Death Note still dangled precariously from the dark-haired man's thumb and forefinger.

Stunned for the moment, Kira stared up at L with his mouth slightly open. Offended fury and wounded pride replaced the shock almost instantly and he was on his feet again. Kira attacked with renewed speed, mindful of the same attack.

L didn't dodge. Taking Kira's punch full-on, L was knocked to the floor. He controlled the fall, placing one hand flat on the ground as the other kept its hold on the Death Note. Twisting into a hand-spin, he caught Kira square in the jaw with a bony ankle.

Teeth snapping together with an audible _clack_, Kira was thrown through the air and into the wall.

The painting beside him crashed to the ground and Kira followed it down.

Head throbbing from the blows, Kira groaned, stirring enough after several moments to drag his hand across his mouth. His teeth had split his lower lip and red had splattered his previously pristine sweater. "Wha--" he tried. Loathe to spit out blood but finding it difficult to speak around, the youth grimaced in distaste and swallowed a salt-and-copper mouthful before coughing. He pulled himself to his feet with the help of the wall and felt gingerly at his jaw to be sure it wasn't cracked. "...What was that?"

"Parafuseta, then a piao de mao," L explained. Not even slightly winded, he rolled one shoulder and tilted his head sharply to pop his neck. "My form is possibly rusty. I should resume practicing... it has been several years."

"What's the fighting style called?" Kira clarified, glaring at L but used to his obscurities.

"...Capoeira."

One word. Kira clenched his jaw, but found that that hurt. He advanced on L with a good deal more caution this time. "And where did you learn it?" he coaxed, suspecting that at least part of the reason L offered no information on his own was simply to provoke him.

Of course, it could just as easily be because L had the sparkling social skills of a hermetic zombie.

L's expression went blank as he watched Kira approach. "Why does Kira-kun wish to know?" he asked in return.

"Curiosity," Kira replied sardonically. He frowned at L. "You just kicked me into a wall. I think I have a right to know how."

"...I was taught by Naomi Misora." L shifted on his feet, scratching his calf with the toes of his other foot. The Death Note swung temptingly in his loose grip.

No longer fooled by this display of inattention, Kira arched an eyebrow. _He knew her? _His surprise was easily hidden by a haughty, considering look. "Misora... really." Kira snorted for dramatic effect, smirking and running a hand through his hair. "If I'd known she met you, I might have kept her alive a little longer. She was a little too observant for her own good..." Pretending to have an insight, Kira let his smirk linger and widen. "Wait... an intelligent, attractive young woman who took the time to help you out on a case and teach a social invert like you how to defend himself? Could she have been your first love?"

L stood perfectly still, face smooth and eyes two featureless discs of black. In spite of his control, however, the detective gave away more than he intended-- his relaxed pose was undercut by a fierce tension and his hands had curled into fists. Now clenched tightly, the Death Note seemed in danger of being permanently bent on one side. "Yagami-kun..." L intoned. The name was a warning falling without emotion from his lips.

"'Yagami-kun' now?" Kira laughed. "Did I hit a nerve or two?" He stepped closer confidently, intending to break L's control and take the Note before L could remember another move. An evil smile curled his lips as he played his final card. He had been waiting for months to use it-- a slip L had made when Light had asked him about his parents, referring to them in the past tense when he'd told Light he wouldn't talk about them. "It's too bad how everyone you love seems to die." L blanched, the draining of color making him look even more inhuman.

LxLxL

Kira dove forward, all attention on the Death Note-- and so he missed the pale of L's cheeks flushing suddenly with rage and the explosion of real emotion in normally lifeless eyes. Kira's fingers closed on the Death Note's other corner at the same moment L made his final attack.

Jumping back for leverage, L never noticed the Death Note ripping as anything more than a fortunate distraction to his enemy. Springing forward with his weight angled low, he twisted with one leg flung out to knock Kira's legs from under him. As Kira fell he turned the momentum from the kick into a spinning jump that ended with both feet on Kira's chest. His intended rebound failed and he collapsed to the ground with the younger man, their legs tangling painfully.

It took several long seconds for L's breathing to slow and his sanity to fully return.

L didn't love Misora. However, she had been a good person and one that he highly respected; if he weren't L, and if she had been more ambitious, he may have chosen her as his interest. Kira's blatant disregard for her as a person and his lack of regret in killing her had offended a part of L in a way that he couldn't simply dismiss. The fact that Kira had realized this and provoked him still further was something he should have expected, and yet he had allowed himself to be pushed. L always regretted allowing his emotions to drive him into impulsive acts. Even after months and years of carefully controlling his emotions, he didn't find lashing out to be cathartic or any sort of release. It was merely tiring.

Sitting up now, L checked Kira over to make sure the younger man would be all right. Kira appeared winded and shocked, but fine overall... his eyes were staring blankly at his hand.

Following his gaze, the detective felt his heart stutter in his chest.

Half of the front cover and a handful of pages were held in Kira's numb fingers. More torn pages littered the expensive carpet, and the rest of the Death Note lay beside L like the victim of an attempted murder, mutilated edges open to the air.

_If you make this note unusable by tearing it up or burning it, all the humans who have touched the note until then will die._

Seconds stretched by eternally, and L realized that he was still alive.

He blinked.

_Another fake rule?_

Feeling as though he'd escaped death by coincidence, L pulled himself to his feet, still unreal. His gaze dragged slowly to the shinigami, where Ryuk stood nearby with a half-eaten apple forgotten during the fight. "...The rule," L began. "The Note can be destroyed without consequence?" It was too good to be true. To get Light back, perhaps he only had to burn what was left of the Note... Then again, the rule had stated that Kira would only lose his memories if the Note were rendered unusable-- it was possible he had only been lucky.

Lost in his shock and calculations, he failed to notice Kira standing beside him. He also couldn't sense the rage seething in the younger genius' body.

He didn't even feel Kira's fist connect with his cheek. Instead, pain and a burst of light flashed through his mind as he soared through the air. Hitting the back of the couch, he was flipped over, rebounding from the cushions and slamming into the coffee table.

LxLxL

Moving cautiously around the sofa, Kira looked down at L and fought the urge to kill the other man with his own hands. The Death Note-- the instrument that would allow Kira to create his beautiful new world-- L had torn it. _Desecrated_ it. Red tinged the edge of Kira's vision and he breathed erratically as he tried to stay in control.

When the red faded and the wrath receded, Kira looked coldly down at the older man.

L was sprawled awkwardly, feet on the couch and neck against the edge of the coffee table. His right arm was trapped behind him.

Dishes and sweets were scattered across the surface of the table, jarred by the collision of detective and furniture. Luckily for L, most of the fallen dishes had been flung to the opposite side by the force of his fall.

The dark-haired man appeared to be stunned.

Pride somewhat soothed by the other man's comical and obviously painful position, Kira crossed his arms on his chest. "Is your capoeira supposed to end that way?"

"...I became distracted..." L gritted out. Taking a breath and clenching his jaw, he pulled his feet down from the cushions and sat up, supporting himself with his left arm. The new position put him closer to Kira, and L's gaze traveled up the other man, dark eyes impossible to read.

Recognizing the look from their fight, Kira tensed and tried to step out of range-- failed to move quickly enough and collapsed with a curse as L's heel caught his kneecap with a precise amount of force. More angry than hurt, the brunet glared at L. "The fight was over."

"I know," L agreed matter-of-factly. "I was starting a new one."

"Bad move," Kira asserted, eyes narrowed. Lunging, he caught L's right arm in a tight grip, not having missed the other man favoring it.

L's eyes rolled up and he collapsed backward.

Releasing the man's arm as he fell, Kira blinked, caught between sadistic satisfaction and mild concern. L had torn the Death Note. Sadism won. Frowning, he knelt over the detective anyway. "L?"

Eyelashes fluttered open over obsidian eyes, and L took careful, pained breaths. His gaze refocused on Kira and without warning his pointy knee caught Kira in the ribs.

Grunting in pain and losing his balance, the murderer found himself aligned along L's body in an interesting way. Ignoring that thought in disgust, he levered himself up on an elbow. Before he could sit up, however, a strong hand slid to his lower back and balled itself into Kira's shirt. Exasperated, Kira frowned down at L. "This is getting ridiculous--" His breath escaped in a rush as L pulled down on Kira's back and lifted his hips into the younger man's. "That..." he tried, but his eyes closed at the forgotten pleasure such friction could bring. Distracted by the underhanded tactic, Kira realized belatedly that he'd followed L's hips down and had his face against the other man's neck, mouth open as though to taste him. Shaken and alarmed, he tried to escape again.

Unfortunately for him, L's trick proved equally effective the second time.

"Idiot-- your arm is broken..." Kira informed L. The distracted moan that appeared to be what passed for his voice at the moment was pure embarrassment. He took out his annoyance by driving his hips more sharply against L's. L caught the rhythm and Kira's thoughts began to scatter, one hand slipping into L's shirt to slide over his skin.

"Mm... Eighty-five percent likely..." L agreed. His good arm clung to Kira and his head was thrown back, but he stubbornly kept his legs from winding around Kira's to encourage him.

Kira returned his mouth to L's exposed throat, but turned the tempting urge to kiss into a vindictive bite instead. Tensing, L shuddered at the bite and arched sharply into the other man. Startled enough to lose his rhythm, Kira let out a vicious chuckle. "A masochist after all..."

L's own lips caught onto Kira's neck in argument, and to raise an additional point he pulled his nails up along the younger man's spine as he bucked his hips.

Mind spinning from the persuasive combination, Kira lost his focus and moaned quietly. L's nails dug in convulsively at the sound, and the older man attempted to push Kira to his back. The heat of the moment made him forget his arm, however, and he fell back again with a grimace of pain, sweat beading his skin. "...Ow," he remarked.

Kira snorted at him in dazed amusement. "I wouldn't try that again. Besides... you realize how lucky you are that I'm even paying attention to you...?" he asked, licking a line along L's jaw and suckling at point of his throat just below his chin.

Swallowing convulsively, L held Kira closer, eyes shutting on their own. "...Lucky that a self-obsessed... sociopath..." he attempted.

Finishing his mark there, Kira gave the other man an admonishing nip and shifted his hips more forcefully against L's. Without his conscious thought, his hands slid to the detective's jeans, tugging at the button and zipper. After a moment, he cursed and pulled away from L long enough to accomplish his task without their bodies getting in the way. "You think you're better?" he retorted. A sharp toss of his head moved his already sweat-damp bangs from his vision as he succeeded in undoing the zipper. L's hand hovered nearby in an attempt to help, but Kira swatted it away. Glancing up, he was unprepared to meet L's eyes. The intensity of their focus caused a shiver down his spine and Kira felt caught. Almost against his will, he bent down again and their lips met for the first time in weeks. The open-mouthed kiss felt oddly awkward at first, and Kira wondered at the uncertain clench to his stomach and why his head felt suddenly light. Putting the useless questions from his mind, he pressed closer to L, lying along him again as their attention narrowed to their tongues sliding and twisting together.

Another low moan escaped Kira-- and above them, a familiar laugh was heard, followed by a crunch. Juice dripped onto the back of Kira's neck.

Jerking in surprise and tensing, Kira glared up at Ryuk.

The shinigami was currently standing in the middle of the coffee table to look down at them, eating an apple as if it were popcorn and the humans were a good movie.

"Ryuk. _Out_," Kira snapped. As the shinigami wasn't human, it wasn't worth becoming embarrassed by his watching, though having anything see him like this wasn't high on Kira's list of favorite things. At the moment, he couldn't care.

"Hyuk, hyuk. This is a lot more fun. You never did anything like this with Misa. I thought it was just because you were busy with the Death Note... Light's actually acting human!" Laughing again, Ryuk tilted his head back and tossed the apple core into his mouth, shoulders shaking and earring swinging with his mirth. "I have to admit, though, this isn't really my idea of fun. I'm still a guy, after all. Misa was a lot cuter."

Kira gave Ryuk the focused glare that he was famous for and it actually had the power to stop the shinigami mid-laugh. "Did you enjoy that apple?"

Ryuk shifted, suspecting a trap. He looked from Kira to L, who was staring up at him with his flat eyes. "Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

"Because the next apple you get will be a year from now. Remember the taste."

At Kira's cold words, Ryuk dropped his jaw. "Light-- you can't mean that-- I would go in withdrawal. It would hurt."

"You like to feel alive, don't you? Well, feeling pain is just as effective as laughing," Kira asserted ruthlessly.

Ryuk's mask-like face stared at Kira for a moment as the shinigami processed that. Changing tactics, he turned to L. "You should talk sense into him. Having no apples would be like if he took away your cake..."

Kira's glare intensified. "He'll agree with me. If you ever want another apple, shut up and go into the other room."

The shinigami seemed about to speak before reconsidering, suspecting that Kira was evil enough to withhold apples if Ryuk didn't obey him to the letter of his command. For once, Ryuk wasn't laughing. Instead he materialized his wings to leave the room more quickly, gliding through the wall and into the bedroom without another word.

Sighing when the shinigami was gone, Kira dropped his forehead to L's shoulder. "Why did I let Misa escape with Rem?" he asked the air. "I should have just let her die and kept the smarter shinigami to myself. Rem isn't nearly as aggravating..."

"Perhaps we can still trade them," L offered. "Amane-san can't be that difficult to find..."

"That's actually a concern," Kira admitted wryly. "She's good cover, but now that our identities are out she's a liability. If I kill her off before her scheduled time to die, though, Rem will assume it was me. I don't put it past Rem to not kill me with her bare hands."

Reluctantly, Kira pushed himself to his elbows again and studied L. He found himself... surprisingly disappointed that Ryuk had ruined the mood. Now reality was intruding again and it was quite annoying. Which was ridiculous-- L had defaced the Death Note. Given a chance, the detective would probably burn it.

"...Kira-kun talks casually of killing someone devoted to him... Does he care for anyone?" L wondered out loud.

"Of course," Kira replied casually. "I care for everyone... At least, everyone that's worth saving. They deserve to be protected." Balancing his upper body on one elbow, he reached up to nudge a plate farther from L's head. "You've got cake in your hair," he observed. "...I didn't actually notice it was there. I must have been distracted by you cheating."

"...Which time?" L asked.

Kira snorted, not seeing a reason to answer. He frowned at L. "...Why did you try that, anyway? I was ready to kill you for what you did to the Death Note, and you seemed to feel the same way over Misora. It isn't like you to be so..."

"...Impulsive?" finished L. Kira lifted his chin in agreement and sat up again, brushing his clothes back into order. L levered himself to rest on his good arm and pull his knees closer to himself. "Kira-kun used my emotions against me in an underhanded attempt to retrieve the Death Note. Likelihood of Kira using any and all tactics to win the Death Note back was at ninety percent. I assumed that you might try something like that, but my reaction caught me... off-guard. Still, Kira-kun was reacting to my provocation. Staying angry at him for that would be useless." L had turned his focus to his arm as he spoke, prodding it gently and without wincing. "...In any case, if I fail to retrieve the Death Note once more and destroy it now that the fake rule has been exposed, there was a forty-percent chance that if Kira got into a position where he felt he had some control and it was safe to allow his attraction to show, this situation would become more favorable..."

Having listened without comment to L's speech until the end, morbidly interested in L's dispassionate analysis of his likely broken arm, Kira abruptly stiffened. "In other words, you believed that if I were on top at first, you could trick me into sex again and switch our roles partway through?"

Finally glancing at Kira again, L kept his face carefully devoid of expression as he realized his tactical error. Biting the bullet, he nodded.

Kira's fist cracked once more into L's jaw. He shook his hand out, knowing the bruises on his knuckles would be an irritant while writing down the names of the judged. Leaving L to set his own broken arm, he stalked away to find some tape.

LxLxL

Though his plan hadn't gone entirely according to plan, the genius detective watched Kira walk away before allowing himself a smug smile. _Kira-kun should learn not to let a little mention of sex make him lose control. Fake rule is confirmed, certainty: one hundred percent._

* * *

**A/N:**

I have a short list of songs that are 100 percent L and Kira to me. This song, by Breaking Benjamin, is on that list. Most of the others will make it into chapter titles eventually. I also have a music video of different future and current scenes of TYA that play in my head when I hear it. Capoeira moves were referenced at capoeirascience dot com. (Since this was a point that confused several people on AFF, I didn't give L capoeira on my own-- it's mentioned that he knows the art in DN: How to Read 13, as well as DN: Another Note. I only looked up the moves and tried to think what he might utilize in this situation.)

The chars seem to change things on me for this story... Like the end of this chapter. I had a lemon all planned out, then Ryuk popped up, and... well, as you see. For those rooting for kinksiness, there will be some! Eventually. Stay strong! My original plan had been for Kira to be seme for a while and L to eventually work to be an equal in his eyes, yadda yadda... Things changed, and it's a much more even playing field again. Though L having a broken arm might give Kira an unfair advantage for a few weeks... we'll see what happens! (I think "we'll see what happens" has become my motto...)

Additional edits dedicated to shadowform on AFF! She pointed out that L would not necessarily have been able to determine the rule was a fake just from it being a bit torn, so I edited L's realization slightly, edited part of another line and added on the end-bit from L's POV. This wasn't meant to be a confusing sneaky plot-point or anything, just a mistake on my part! Thanks again, shadowform...!

Review responses:

SoraXNamine: Updated! Thanks!

Impervious Marr: So not faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiir. I wish they'd play it in theaters here-- but they'd have to play the first two first, and I don't know how well those'd go over. I'm so worried this country will try to make its own version of Death Note for theaters...! The thought of what Hollywood would do to it twists my stomach in nervous bursts of pain. That seems extreme, but I have _seen_ what we did to other wonderful Japanese stories. Thank you for the, er, continued gurgling! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. --hit by violently tossed love-- Ah! Abusive relationship...! --Throws love back-- Your art is wonderful! I'll read your fics later, I will.

Amorpheous: I'm glad you think of meromero randomly, it makes me happy. I feel like I had an effect on someone! Also, explaaain. What do the parts mean? I've tried to contemplate and sadly failed.

dreamsofpalmtrees: Thanks! Kira needs therapy, yup. Can you imagine how terrified his therapist would be? Heh.

Shadowsole: oh! That does indeed explain the anon, I was wondering! Well, hello again! Thank you!

lovova: Thank you thank you, I'm-- well, I'd be lying if I said 'I'm thinking of a plan for L'. L and Kira write themselves, I only think of plans for the others really... That might not be good, hmm...

seasnake.756: That gave me a giggle. Repression and denial is in the air! Possibly a hint of love.

Yakubi: Thanks for reviewing, then!! I've had to rewrite scenes and chapter parts to try keeping things IC before, so that's a wonderful compliment-- I'm trying to the best of my abilities. I think everyone has to dumb down Kira and L though-- I can write them as close as I can, but I imagine they'd be so much smarter than me I'd look like I was standing still and drooling while they talked. (Well, if I were in a room with them and they were talking, that is probably quite honestly what I _would _be doing...!) So writing as intelligently as I can it still feels nowhere near their level to me... These chapters managed to come out with a max of three days between because I'd had them pre-written-- my cache is up now, though, but it generally only takes me a day to write a chapter when I have the time to and a few days to a week to refine it. So from here on it might be more like once a week rather than 2 to 3 times, but...! I'm sorry!!


	7. Getting Away With Murder

Chapter Title: Getting Away With Murder

Disclaimer: Death Note isn't mine. If it were... this is pretty much what would have happened, actually.

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Kira/L

Comments: Guh, was so not satisfied with the last chapter! I spent the entire day I posted it having to resist the urge to call my best friend and have her sign in and take it down. I figured me spending ten years fixing one chapter obsessively would not help anyone.

I'm sorry this took so long! I had the chapter done a few days ago, but went on an impromptu trip to Washington to see family, and mother has a modem connection. I couldn't bear that, not even to update. No internet is somehow less painful than how slowly a modem loads anything...

* * *

L was taking longer than anticipated in the shower. Kira had timed the other man the previous morning when he was washing the cake frosting out, but at that point L had been generally clean and had only had to struggle with his hair. _It must be harder than he thought to clean himself with a broken arm, _Kira decided. A cruel smirk curved his mouth. _Serves him right._ Golden-brown eyes strayed from the screen of the laptop to the Death Note beside him, and his lips thinned in displeasure as his slender fingers trailed down a line of tape covering the scar bisecting the black cover.

Not trusting L as far as he could throw him, Kira had spent the previous night with the Note held tightly in his grasp while he slept. When L had attempted to slip the thin book from Kira's arms, the murderer had awoken instantly and fixed L with a deadly glare, threatening to break his _other_ arm for him as well. L had sulked and subsided, returning to his bizarre habit of watching Kira while he slept. They weren't chained together any longer, but either L was loathe to change his accustomed routines or he was simply so disturbed that watching Kira sleep brought him some sort of satisfaction.

Kira honestly didn't want to know the answer either way.

The time L had spent in the shower that morning was taken advantage of with a swift efficiency. Using the laptop's built-in camera and microphone, he'd recorded two pre-planned messages-- one in English, one in Japanese, though the content was the same. He'd edited them quickly, tweaking them to his own purposes, and had then taken a moment to hack into the FBI criminal database.

Flipping the Death Note open with another regretful grimace and flare of anger for its current sad state, Kira had written down twenty criminals Misa would have no access to, setting them to die at six p.m.. Shaking his hand out-- the knuckles he'd torn against L's teeth the day before still stung, and Kira had gotten out of the habit of writing with a pen-- he had returned his fingers to the computer keys. In his remaining time, Kira carefully routed his messages with their accompanying video files through as many terminals as he could to obscure his path. Finishing his task with a flourish, he leaned back with a feeling of accomplishment, small smile playing about his lips.

By the time night fell in Vladivostok, several news stations around the world would have received the deaths needed to authenticate Kira's assertion that the messages were from himself. They would air the messages as requested, and... he would see what happened next.

In an unusual good humor, Kira closed the cover of the laptop and stood, stretching with a contented sigh. He tossed Ryuk a spare apple and picked the Death Note up with something like affection, going to the room's window for the first time since he and L's arrival. Opening the curtains to let in the sharp daylight, Kira looked out over the cityscape. Even the suite's warmth couldn't keep the chill pressed close to the clear glass entirely at bay, and the murderer curiously touched his fingers to it. ..._I think I've become disconnected from the world,_ he mused. His gaze took in the small figures of tourists and natives far below, families bundled against the November cold and going about their lives with no idea that Kira stood above them. _And how would they react if they knew...? What a ridiculous thought. Near forced my hand, but even with my identity in the open it's not safe yet to go among the people without a disguise..._

"...Kira-kun looks serious."

The voice had come from directly behind him. Refusing to jump, Kira tensed briefly before forcing himself to relax. He didn't look back at L, though he did shift the Death Note into a more secure hold instinctively. L stood close enough to Kira for the younger man to feel the shower-damp warmth of him against his back. He realized that he wasn't seeing the scenery anymore, too unsettled by L's proximity. Flicking his eyes to the side, he studied L's opaque reflection in the window. As Kira had half-expected, the detective stood straight, his uninjured hand in his pocket and the right arm bound again into a sling. Less surprisingly, his black eyes were on Kira rather than the city. Kira carefully ignored the fact that he'd become unusually aware of his own heart-beat. He also shunned the realization of how attractive the scent of someone fresh from a shower could be. He spoke to fill the silence more than anything else. "I was thinking how long it's been since we ventured outside. Aside from going to a plane or getting out of a taxi, I mean."

If he turned his head, their faces would probably touch. Kira frowned to himself and kept his head firmly forward.

He could sense L's amusement. "Does thinking of going outside make you this tense?" L asked, deliberately misinterpreting.

"Having you hovering over me is the problem, L," Kira corrected shortly. He turned his face just slightly to slant a mild glare at the dark-haired man. The shower's warmth had brought a lingering flush to L's skin, and his toweled-dry was still slightly curled, as Kira had discovered it often was until it had fully dried and L had combed it to its usual untamable mess. L's dark eyes were carefully blank, but it seemed as though the older man were resisting the urge to smile.

Abruptly too irritated to remain where he was, Kira pushed L aside and took a step toward the couch. L's good hand stopped him, touching his arm. Kira paused against his better judgment and glanced back at L with a frown. "What now?"

In answer, L rested his hand along the side of Kira's neck. Leaning close, he pressed his lips to Kira's.

Kira's back stiffened and he began to pull away, but L followed and the kiss grew more insistent. The younger man put his free hand to L's chest to push at him, but his hand stayed where it was as Kira's eyes slid closed. Annoyance warred with Kira's reluctant acknowledgment that L really was a disturbingly good kisser.

Unbidden, the memory of himself weeks before came to his mind, pulling L down for one last kiss as a promise between them of a time when L would believe his innocence and Kira would be caught.

The memory had an ironic edge now, and an undercurrent of something bitter.

Standing still for another moment, Kira recalled himself and turned his head away, brows furrowed. Clearing his throat and taking a breath, he cast L a last, difficult to read look and went to sit beside Ryuk rather than at the couch he normally shared with L.

Ryuk laughed quietly. "He got you," he pointed out, apparently adjusting to the strange pair's new game.

"Shut up, Ryuk," Kira responded shortly. His fingers traced the tape on the Death Note in what was becoming a habit. What had just happened? He had a suspicion that L had just slipped behind his defenses somehow to trick him into that kiss. And he had allowed it. _Why?_ The thought unsettled Kira even as he composed himself to appear calm and unaffected by the strange event. Could this be blamed on the side of himself he'd fought with when he dreamed...? _If only the Death Note could be used to kill off one's own imperfections..._ But that was ridiculous. Kira had no flaws-- no imperfections. He was a god.

L remained at the window, watching him with the almost-smile still on his lips. Obviously the man assumed that his laptop being closed at the moment meant that Kira hadn't taken advantage of his situation to judge criminals. He looked forward to the detective's face when the evening news rolled around.

Staring from L to Light, Ryuk tipped his head back, laughter echoing in the silent hotel room.

LxLxL

"Ahh-- Misa hates flying," Misa complained, stretching out with one arm and yawning as she left the hallway-bridge connecting her plane to LAX. Her other hand was on the handle of her wheeled luggage, and she was wearing sunglasses and a chin-length wig that closely matched Nori's hair. Even for the sake of disguise she hadn't been able to dress unfashionably-- though her usual Gothic Lolita attire had been swapped out for Capri jeans and a light pink shirt with a jacket.

"Misa, be careful about calling yourself that," Rem reminded. The shinigami floated after her ward, non-bandaged eye making sure none of the other jet-lagged and half-awake passengers had overheard. It was just before three in the morning in Los Angeles.

Pouting slightly, Misa sighed. "I know, Rem. That stupid news program made everything harder..." She smiled suddenly, glancing over her shoulder devilishly to wink at Rem. "They had a great picture of Light, though!"

Rem failed to respond to that, gaze sweeping the nearly deserted terminal again.

Misa groaned. "Please, I need someone to talk to...! Everyone was asleep on the flight and I couldn't draw attention...!"

A young man who had traveled with them on the red eye flight glanced at Misa curiously. Assuming she was talking on a hands-free wireless earpiece, however, he dismissed her without another glance.

Rem relaxed somewhat when he left and Misa took herself to an empty waiting-area. Dropping to a sprawl in one of the chairs, the former actress gave up on getting Rem to actually converse with her. Glumly, she let her eyes rest without interest on a TV in one corner of the waiting area. It's volume was low, but it appeared to be one of the international channels, with a woman in drab colors and severely styled hair speaking. A UK based program, it was covering the morning news and recapping events of the previous day.

Pictures were shown of criminals Misa had judged the day before, and Misa rolled her eyes, sitting up to rummage through her bag for a low-fat snack and a diet soda. "Misa knows about that already, show something new...!" she muttered.

"Misa...!"

Her first instinct was to glance at the shinigami, worried at Rem's tone of warning. _Someone's watching?_ When she saw Rem's eye focused on the screen, however, she blinked and followed her gaze.

The screen had new pictures up-- men Misa had never seen the pictures for. Delighted, she sat bolt upright. Excitement flooded her as the crimes of the men were listed. All had died of heart-attacks at the same second several hours before. "Light...!" Abandoning her luggage, Misa hopped to her feet and ran to the screen, standing below it to hear better and craning her neck slightly to watch. The program was in English, but Misa had expected to become a famous Hollywood star anyway, and had been practicing for years.

When the images left the screen, Misa expected the boring woman to return and the news to move on to reports on lowering crime rates or the few trouble-spots left in the world, areas where groups as-yet outside of Kira's influence continued to fight and kill each other. These were areas where cameras didn't often venture and the groups avoided recognition-- without capture, knowing their names to punish such people was impossible. Misa knew that Light would make those people, too, stop their violence-- it would just take him a little time.

Instead of moving on, however, the news anchor shuffled her papers and announced a special report: the station had received a video message from Kira, confirmed by the twenty deaths just mentioned. She announced that only a handful of stations across the world had been chosen by Kira and that they would broadcast his message as requested in the spirit of relating all information possible to the public for others to do with as they could.

Misa had a feeling that this reporter didn't believe in Kira at all. She kept her words careful, but she held her papers like they were a shield and she looked too pale under her make-up. Putting her hands on her hips, Misa made a face at the TV. The woman couldn't even dress right, and she thought her opinions mattered?

The screen turned white, and the word KIRA appeared in Old English, glowing faintly. The word faded and the screen filled with Light's eyes. A bar of solid white remained at the top and bottom of the screen. Misa watched raptly as the English version of his message played, his words spoken with a careful precision but still commanding. With his direct gaze and the force of his words, Misa felt as though he were sending his message only to her.

"I am the one known as Kira: Light Yagami. That much of what you were told is true; however, the one who told you that cannot be trusted. He claims to be L, the world's greatest detective. This is false. L is the detective at my side, who abandoned his career and is risking his life to aid me now. To say otherwise makes less of a man who has dedicated his career to fighting against injustice and making criminals atone for their sins."

Still hating the fact that L was the one traveling the world with Light instead of her, Misa went up on her tip-toes to touch the television. "Light should rescue Misa again and run away with _her_!" she informed the screen persuasively.

"Misa... he can't hear you," Rem pointed out.

Misa stuck her tongue out before returning to her feet, not wanting to miss more of Light's broadcast.

"To my supporters, I know you've been trying to assist me in any way you can. I'm grateful, but be cautious. To those who are against Kira, there is something you should think on. Would L be with me if he didn't believe that I am just...?" Light let the question linger, then pulled slightly away from the camera, relaxing his features into a charming and confident smile. Misa could now see more of Light's face, though the background was still obscured. "Until I speak to you again, enjoy your day and believe that a better world is coming."

Light's image disappeared, leaving the white screen, and the news anchor returned.

LxLxL

Near sat curled in a computer chair, both hands still for once as his eyes were fixed on the screens before him. Every station that Light had sent his message to was playing at once, and Near's eyes roamed the screens as his mind worked. A small smile had curved his lips since the broadcast began.

"MisaMisa's with Light again...!" Matsuda gasped as Kira's message faded back to the various reporters speaking. "How will we catch them now?"

Aizawa grimaced, the expression carrying into his tone. "Matsuda, think before you talk. Besides, I think that girl would make it _easier_ to find them. She draws attention."

"That is a good point, Aizawa, but you're missing the most obvious information," Near commented. His head was tilted, and one thin finger once again curled into his wispy hair. "Mogi?" he added, head turning toward the silent detective while his dark eyes remained on the screens.

Mogi blinked at Near, then frowned and closed his eyes, obviously searching his mind for the answer Near expected. After a moment, his eyes opened. "The method of reporting."

Near's smile broadened, a caricature of pleasure as his eyes remained completely expressionless. "Exactly. That shows that..."

"Uh-- I'm sorry, but..." Matsuda cut in hesitantly, hands raised defensively. "The what method of reporting what?"

Smile dropping, Near glanced above Matsuda's head disparagingly and returned his attention to the video screens.

"The criminals murdered by Amane have all been ones reported on the news or available online. The twenty criminals used by Yagami to show his identity were all ones only located in the FBI's database," Rester explained musingly, standing 'at-ease' behind Near's chair. He spoke almost as rarely as Mogi when the others were around, but his opinions were ones Near always took into consideration. "That would mean... most likely, that Amane and Yagami have had no contact. If they had, he would not have needed to exclusively use those criminals she wouldn't have had a chance to kill."

Aizawa nodded. "That makes sense. If he wanted them as examples, having them die before the time he mentioned would have been a problem."

Matsuda sighed heavily, taking a chair and settling into it again. "I still can't believe L went to Light's side..."

Near's finger paused in his hair. "...Watari. Contact the stations that received their video file directly from Light-Kira and request confirmation on the time they received it." Watari didn't respond, but it was assumed that he was on task as always.

"What will that prove?" Matsuda asked, blinking.

Near pulled up a recorded copy of the Kira message and skipped to the end, when Light pulled back enough to show more of his face than just his eyes. "Do you see a bruise...?" he asked.

Aizawa leaned over Near to study the image. Rester tensed, ready to toss Aizawa across the room if needed, but the other man was intent on Light's image. "...There, below his cheekbone on the left side?" he clarified. "It's hard to see with the angle, but you might be right."

"They're still fighting?" Matsuda asked forlornly. "I thought they'd be getting along now. They ran away together and they're on the run, hiding from the world..."

"You make it sound like a romantic movie," Aizawa criticized sharply.

"Well-- um..." Matsuda hung his head again and mumbled. "Near said they... that they..."

"They engaged in intercourse," Near confirmed. "That does not necessarily mean they get along. They continued to fight even after that incident, and it was after that that Light attempted to make Rem kill L."

Watari's voice cut through Matsuda's discomfort. "The emails in Japan were received close to six forty-five in the morning; the email to London was at nine-thirty yesterday evening." His promptness suggested he had the information at hand and had merely needed to look it up.

"Why would he wait that long?" Matsuda asked, frowning.

"Time zones," Rester replied shortly. "That's just how they would work out."

"Rester is correct," Near agreed. "It would mean that the emails were sent out within minutes of each other; possibly with only enough time to record them and to cover Light's trail."

"Was he in a hurry?" Aizawa asked thoughtfully, arms crossed. "Maybe they were just about to leave again."

"I believe there's another explanation." Near abandoned his hair to pick up two of the action figures he'd set to looming above his keyboard-- a robot and a monster. He laid the monster on its side and motioned with the robot. "In the surveillance tapes it was revealed that both Light and L prefer to shower in the morning. L would shower first, often as soon as Light woke to avoid disturbing his sleep and to maintain his watch. This is generally between six-thirty and seven a.m.." Near "woke" the monster figure up and had the figures fight. "From Light-Kira's words and the recent coloring on the bruise, it's clear that the two are still traveling together. Assuming their habits remained true, the time it takes L to shower could reasonably be the only time during the day that Light is alone. It is possible that Light had only this limited time to find and write down the names of twenty criminals before recording and sending his messages."

Matsuda's eyes were wide. "But-- if the messages to Japan were the ones in the morning... would that mean they're still in Japan?" he asked in shock.

"It would just mean they're near this time-zone," Aizawa corrected. He frowned at Near. "I don't buy it. You need too many assumptions for something like that to work. We don't know what their habits are like now, or-- even if you can assume that Light had to wait for Ryuuzaki to shower-- you can't know when they would be showering. It's just as possible that L dropped cake on himself or their fighting made a mess."

Near shrugged. "Those exceptions are possible, but my theory fits in with their general habits. Either way, their location wasn't my main point. We've had previous signs that L is not giving Light-Kira his full support-- for instance, I'm still alive, and so is Watari-- but this information could possibly prove that L is still against Light. He has to have realized by now the enormity of what he's chosen, and if he's wavering at all the right message would let him know that he would be allowed to resume his life if he changes his mind."

Ide, who had been trying to follow along silently, spoke up in surprise. "You'd let him have his title back?"

The action figures continued to fight in Near's hands as the boy responded in a matter-of-fact way. "No. By going with a criminal, L proved that he can no longer perform in this capacity adequately. I will still become the new L. But he might be allowed imprisonment rather than the death penalty."

Matsuda swallowed. "So... what do we do now? Are you going to say that Light was lying and you really are L?"

"Nope." Near fought the figures to a stand-still, then dropped them. "I'm going to agree with everything he said. You may not have realized it, but Light-Kira took the shovel I showed him and dug himself a grave. L will see it... and maybe he'll come back to our side instead of adding a hole for himself beside him." Pushing away from the desk abruptly, Near left the room's advanced computers behind himself and went to a children's wading pool Rester had set up for him. It was filled with motorized battleships and fishing boats, and the space surrounding it was filled with controllers and small figurines. Dropping down, he picked up a remote and set to playing.

Aizawa glanced at the other detectives to see if they understood what Near was talking about. Ide shook his head, Matsuda looked completely confused, and Mogi was watching impassively as ever, but with a faint sense of bewilderment. Frowning, Aizawa looked to Near again. "What sort of grave? To me, it looks like you made a mistake. Light's a solid, straight-laced kid, and Amane's an icon. Showing that people like that are the first and second Kira swayed a lot of people to their side-- and now he told everyone he's got L with him. That will make even more people believe in him."

Near guided a small boat in a complicated pattern to avoid crashing it into others. "Say you're one of the world governments, and you learn that Kira is on the loose-- a man more dangerous to politicians and world leaders than a nuclear warhead. And now, he's admitted by his own words that he has the most powerful and intelligent detectives in the world at his side; a man who's the equivalent of several intelligence agencies. You also know Kira's identity, and have a picture of him. What would you do?"

Frown deepening, Aizawa ran a hand over his hair. "I suppose... I couldn't just say Kira was evil, because it might start a war, or get me killed. But I'd have my top people searching the world for them. It's obvious that he wants to reform the world. That's terrifying enough to me-- if I had a whole country at risk, and my power base was threatened..."

Near nodded. "On their own, Kira and L are two of the most hunted people in the world. L has always had Watari to be his public connection, allowing him to live without recognition. Kira had his own anonymity to protect him."

"...You just made them into the biggest threat in the world," Aizawa uttered, shock and disbelief making the words reluctant. "You're insane. Countries won't just send their men after them, if anyone captures them... the other countries won't let them have that power. You're going to cause World War Three!"

"I don't intend to allow another country to capture them," Near disagreed calmly. His boat became trapped between two battleships, its tiny motor unable to force it free. Abandoning that remote, he picked up another and started over. "We will be the ones to bring Light and L to justice. I just made it more likely that they will be caught, and soon, in spite of their own efforts."

Matsuda spoke up hesitantly. "But... won't Light just say he has a shinigami on his side? I think that'd make everyone think twice about capturing him."

"There's no chance of that," Near disagreed flatly. "Light is trying to be a god. He wouldn't admit that he's just borrowing his powers by accident from a god of death. Even if it would help to keep him safe... I don't believe his ego would let him."

"I can see that. Right now he can say the power is his own..." Aizawa shook his head. "It's hard to believe that Light came to this. The Chief..." he sighed. "He probably saw that message too. I can't imagine..."

The other detectives shared a moment of silence, considering Soichiro's tragic life. Even Rester seemed to empathize, leaving only Near to play with his toys, apparently uninterested in the emotional topic.

* * *

**A/N:**

The "World Time Clock" was my very good friend for this chapter! Honestly, it made everything possible. I'm sorry this took so long! I haven't really had a chance to work on writing it. Getting Away with Murder is by Papa Roach, and is a truly fun song.

Review responses:

Impervious Marr: I knooow. I'm still worried! The more popular Death Note gets the more I wince and fear Hollywood sniffing around it. I'm pleased you liked the chapter, but I'm still not happy with it! Staving off school to read is a bad habit though. (I stave off work to read now. It's still bad.)

Shadowsole: That was a bit poetic, yes! But it seems to me more like Light would show through after the bouts of passion. Sorry if Ryuk pissed you off there, he amused me. Though it is frustrating. A friend suggested that situation as a reason Ryuk should be muzzled and chained up out of the way. (We decided he'd chew through the muzzle.)

seasnake.756: Thank you thank you!

SoraXNamine: You're welcome, but I'm so sorry again this took a week plus this time! Very not good.

Pluto: Now you know a little of what Near's plotting! Mello's actually biding his time for a chance to really plot, and it should show up... Chapter nine, if things go to plan. If you like Matt and Mello, that should have more of them again, I don't think they'll show up in eight. Relax is such a good song...! You have good taste.

...random...: Haven't stopped writing! Or not by choice. I should have more time this week to write again!

NightmareTears: (For whenever you read this, if you do choose to wait until I've finished!) Thank you so much! Your review means a lot to me. It also completely bewilders me. You really liked Goodnight Moon that much?? I don't understand that but it makes me happy. So far I like TYA more than GM, though I imagine several people don't agree.

vpvalv: You're very welcome, and thank you for the enthusiasm!


	8. Land of Confusion

Chapter Title: Land of Confusion

Disclaimer: Death Note isn't mine. If it were... this is pretty much what would have happened, actually.

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Kira/L

Comments: This chapter makes me happy, though it will probably frustrate many. Everything's going properly chaotic now, but it's a few chapters yet before Hell starts to break itself loose.

Also! I got fanart! marr-marr.deviantart (dot ) com/art/for-duomi-fanart-1-82681930

Thank you, Impervious Marr! -throws love-. The fact that anyone drew anything for my story makes me insanely pleased and totally confused. As well as the fact that anyone is still reading. So thank you for staying with me and reading with me, everyone...!

* * *

Sayu Yagami clutched her purse to her side, heart in her throat as she stared up at the impossibly tall building. The windows above her reflected the overcast morning in a somber gray, making the lighting for the Sakura TV lobby warm in comparison.

The contrast didn't comfort her, however. Taking a breath, she pushed open the glass doors-- repaired since her father had crashed an armored truck into the building seven months before-- and strode inside. Going to the main desk, Sayu fished her school ID out and set it in front of the receptionist. Pressing her hands flat against the counter to hide their trembling, Sayu spoke as firmly as she could, trying for a commanding adult presence. "I'm Light Yagami's sister, and I need you to please let me on a broadcast," she informed the receptionist.

Doubt on the receptionist's part gave way to wide eyes and recognition as the young man looked from her to her identification and back to Sayu. ""Ho-- hold on." Reaching for his phone, he hit a speed dial and waited a moment before speaking into the receiver. "Tell Demegawa-san that Sayu Yagami is here, and she wants on the air."

LxLxL

Within minutes, Sayu was ushered into a studio and settled into a chair before a host of manned cameras. Her heart was pounding in a dizzying way and her stomach felt like it had taken up residence near her knees, leaving her head light and empty. Still, Sayu was determined.

A greasy, overweight man with a mustache and limp hair handed her a bottle of water and insisted on introducing himself to her while she sat. He said that his name was Demegawa and he was a producer for the station, and that she didn't need to worry, he would make sure the world heard her words.

Sayu thought he looked like the sort of man who bought used girls' panties.

The thought didn't help with her uncertainty about choosing Sakura TV to give her message on. Still, after what Light had said the night before... she had to go through with her decision. Sayu had snuck out of the country house she and her family had been sent to when her father had resigned from the NPA, catching an early morning bus back to Tokyo as soon as she could.

A respected station like the NHN would probably need meetings and votes and a long process to decide if she should be allowed to speak. Sakura TV, on the other hand, was just as desperate as she'd hoped for. She had watched their programs before, and her father and brother had always disparaged the station for pandering to the public and showing anything to bring in ratings.

That turned out to be bad and good. Thanks to Sakura TV, her plan was a success... now she just had to work up to the fact that her message would most likely be played throughout the day worldwide as more and more stations reported on her words. Sayu sincerely hoped that she wouldn't embarrass herself by passing out at the thought.

The man behind the main camera counted down her time until she went live. She took a nervous drink of water and made herself swallow it.

Demegawa had told her that another reporter had already announced that she was in the studio and had something to say, and when her cameraman held up one last finger before pointing to her, she knew that she was on her own now.

"_Niichan!_" startled by her own nervous shout, Sayu blushed and took a death grip to her purse, heart pounding. She could do this. She just had to imagine that only Light could hear her-- not her friends, or her school, or her parents... That wasn't helping. "Niichan, you have to stop this," she pleaded, leaning toward the camera earnestly. He would hear her; he had to. "You aren't helping the world, you're just making everyone scared! If you want to stop criminals be like dad-- you wanted to become the head of the NPA and change things from the inside... I don't understand what happened." Her fingers were clenching her purse so tightly her knuckles stood out white against her skin, and her voice quavered on her last words. _Be strong, Sayu,_ a voice in the back of her mind that sounded suspiciously like her mother's told her. Closing her eyes, Sayu spoke again. "I didn't believe that niichan could be the one killing criminals. I hated dad for believing it, I told mom--" she paused to take a shuddered breath, then opened her eyes again, biting her lip stubbornly against tears. "I told her dad just didn't have faith in you, that he was never around so he didn't know you like we did. Dad... isn't the same. He won't talk, or... We're trying to help him, but he blames himself for everything. I don't know what will happen," she admitted in a small voice. A tear managed to escape from the corner of one eye, but she rubbed it angrily away with the back of her hand, hating tears as much as her brother. Squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath, she looked into the camera with determination. "You need to stop killing people. Even if you can't come home... you don't have to keep doing this! I don't know how you got that power, but it's _evil._ You're trying to save the world, but you ruined our family, and no one knows what happened to you or whether to follow you or go against you, and they're fighting each other for it! How can you tell everyone 'enjoy your day'?" she demanded, swiping at another tear with frustration. "I love you, niichan, but you're such a jerk! When they catch you, they're going to kill you, and all you're doing is tearing the world apart!"

Hiccupping and hating herself for it, Sayu shook her head as she lost the battle with her tears. Grabbing her purse, she ran for a bathroom.

LxLxL

Watching the broadcast as it happened, Near swirled one finger repetitively through his hair, head to one side as he added this new occurrence to his puzzle pieces.

Sitting beside him, Matsuda gave an embarrassing sniff and not-so-discretely wiped at his eyes. Aizawa and Rester gave the young detective identical looks of disgusted reproach.

"Matsuda," Near began.

Matsuda jumped in a guilty way. "Wha-- yes...?"

"You should go to the station and pick Sayu up. Yagami-san will be calling any moment to see that she's fine, and if the anti-Kira catch her coming out of the station after her words, it would not be good for her."

Matsuda's mouth dropped and his eyes widened at the idea. "But-- they can't hurt her, she's Light's-- Kira's sister! He wouldn't want that."

"I agree. It seems likely that his sister is one of the only people Light might work to keep alive," Near concurred emotionlessly, eyes on the screens as Sayu's interview replayed. "Bring her here to keep her safe until her father can arrive."

Sniffing again, Matsuda nodded. "Thank you... you're worried for her too, aren't you? I _knew_ Aizawa was wrong about you. Someone who plays with toys and cares about people can't be an emotionless robot pretending to be human...!" Giving Near a watery, proud smile, Matsuda exited headquarters. Glancing after him, Mogi lifted his ponderous bulk and followed without being asked, obviously intending to get the job done right and with a minimum of the theatrics that seemed to follow Matsuda like the plague.

There was a brief, awkward silence until Aizawa cleared his throat. "Near..." Aizawa began uncomfortably. Whether the man would have apologized or stood by his words remained a mystery as they were interrupted by Watari's voice.

"Mr. Yagami is on the line," the gentleman informed the room politely.

"Put him through," Near responded immediately. Ignoring Aizawa, he pushed his keyboard aside, curling one arm around his bent leg and using his free hand to methodically set a collection of colored tops to spinning on the desk space.

"Near," came the stiffly formal voice of Soichiro Yagami. "I trust you've heard the broadcast by now?"

"Which broadcast are you asking about?" Near asked, eyes focused on his task. The first top faltered and shot off of the desk. Not even flinching, Rester caught it with lightning reflexes, handing the top back to Near and folding his arms once more behind his back as he stood near-at-hand in his usual imitation of a protective wall.

There was a brief pause, during which Soichiro no doubt had to struggle with forcing down anger at Near's response. Near was used to having this effect on adults.

"Sayu snuck away somehow this morning," Soichiro explained stiffly. "She was just on the news. Will you..." Asking for a favor was obviously difficult for the proud man, but he relented with a defeated tone in his voice. "Will you check on her for me, and make sure she's fine until I can reach her?"

The last top was twirled into place, and Near watched the gradual entropy of the orderly little toys as their quick rotations slowed. Within seconds, the toys staggered drunkenly around the desk, and several more scattered to the floor. Near blinked.

"..." Gaze sliding to the corner of the ceiling, Near brought his fingers to his hair again. "Yagami-san," he stated abruptly.

"Yes?"

"Sayu is being brought to headquarters. Obviously, your new residence is unequipped to keep you safe."

"...I wouldn't say that," Soichiro protested, pride showing once more. "Sayu won't do anything like this again, she just..."

"It isn't safe," Near repeated stubbornly. Soichiro remained silent, apparently having understood that Near was using the point more as an argument to get at something else than as a fact in itself. "You will bring your wife to live here. That will be better for everyone involved. Of course, you don't need to rejoin the investigation..."

This time, Soichiro's silence was due to shock and an attempt to process the command. Aizawa stepped in, defending his fallen superior. "Near, that's going too far. Having to be around while we hunt down his son... and making Sayu and Sachiko stay with us..."

Aizawa's words seemed to decide Soichiro. "...I'll do it." There was a forced determination to the man's voice. "If you need me there, for whatever reason... But tell me. This isn't for Sayu's sake, is it...?" he asked grimly.

"Correct," Near agreed readily. Dropping his hand, he set about lining up his toys again as Rester retrieved them. "Light is too familiar with the security here and the location of the building. It's still ideal for headquarters, but though the cameras have been disabled and security measures changed, Light could still get into our files or, in an extreme case, turn his followers against us. Given the riots occurring around the world as we speak, that isn't impossible. If Light is aware that we are guarding his sister and mother..."

"...You plan to use Sayu and Sachiko as a shield against my son?" Soichiro clarified.

"Exactly." Giving up on the toys as they scattered once more, careening off of each other and clattering to the floor, Near stood and brushed past Rester to find something else to play with. "Though if it makes you feel better, I'm using them on the assumption that they won't be harmed."

"How would that make him feel better?" Ide muttered. Aizawa grimaced agreement, arms crossed angrily on his chest.

"I see..." Soichiro intoned.

Near paused, glancing over his shoulder and toward the screens, making sure the speakers could catch his voice. "Oh, and Yagami-san... if you decide that it would be too dangerous, please remember that Sayu has just announced herself as a hostage piece. Countries hoping for leverage against Light-Kira may decide that holding his sister and family against him is the simplest plan."

"Countries...?" Soichiro echoed, sounding overwhelmed and confused.

"Near is trying to incite World War Three," Aizawa explained tersely. "I'll explain when you get here."

"Return as soon as possible," Near informed Soichiro, ignoring Aizawa's words once more. "Watari will arrange for your belongings to be transferred discretely tonight. Goodbye." The call was cut.

LxLxL

Sayu followed Matsuda into headquarters, hands wound uncertainly around the strap of her purse but chin still lifted in defiance.

The last thing she expected to see when she entered the center of Japan's Kira investigation, however, was a collection of Lego blocks mimicking some of the main buildings in Tokyo with a fourteen-year-old albino in pajamas sitting in the middle and waving about a helicopter in pretend flight.

Stumbling slightly in shock, Sayu narrowly avoided being stepped on by Mogi as he followed her inside. "You..." Shaking her head, Sayu looked around the room in search of her sanity. "Who is this?!"

"Oh-- um..." Matsuda laughed, shrugging sheepishly with his hand at the back of his neck. "Sorry, I forgot how weird he is. We're all used to it now. You never knew L either, huh?" At Sayu's continued stare, Matsuda jumped slightly and lowered his head. "This is Near-- L's successor. He's leading the investigation now."

Near didn't bother looking over or acknowledging the girl.

"...That _kid_ is leading the investigation?" Sayu demanded, eyes wide. "And why is he in his pajamas?"

"I never go outside. What would be the point in wearing uncomfortable clothes?" Near asked idly, his first words to her.

Sayu instantly blushed brightly, hand going to her mouth before she gave Matsuda an accusing stare. "You didn't tell me he knows Japanese!" she whispered fiercely, embarrassed. Approaching Near apologetically, she bowed formally before straightening and brushing her hair back behind her ear. "I'm so sorry-- I didn't think you could understand me. My name is Sayu Yaga--"

"Would you not have asked if I couldn't understand you?" Near inquired in something passably close to curiosity, eyes still on his toy. "Interesting. So you share Light's ability to act polite while hating someone."

Jerking as though she'd been struck, Sayu stared at Near in shock. When she'd recovered, her normally cheerful and sociable face had become stiff with hurt anger. "How can you say something like that?! I was rude on accident, but that was just to be cruel."

Near's head tilted. "It wasn't cruel. I was only making an observation on your similarity. You chose to take it offensively."

"No, it was offensive-- Light doesn't act like that! He's polite to people because he's a good person, even if someone is annoying him," Sayu defended.

Matsuda pumped his fist in the air. "Yeah!" he shouted, happy to have someone agreeing with him and standing up to Near. Sayu and Near ignored him, though Aizawa took the time to call him in an idiot and properly deflate his excitement.

"Light is a liar. He hates people and finds them boring," Near asserted without emotion. He crashed his helicopter into one of the buildings, sending the pieces flying and watching the destruction with distant interest. "He's also egotistical, and a murderer."

Before she could stop herself, Sayu had taken a last step and slapped Near across his face full-handed.

The boy toppled over onto his fallen pieces as the helicopter careened across the floor.

An instant later, Rester's large hand was enclosed around Sayu's arm and he hauled the girl away from Near. "Are you all right?" he asked Near gruffly, fury visible in the set of his jaw and tension in his body. Sayu shook in his grasp, horrified at herself and recovering from Near's words. "I'm sorry. She shouldn't have been able to get that close."

Righting himself slowly, Near pulled his leg back to his chest and lightly touched his cheek where a red mark now stood out vividly against his pale skin. "I'm fine. Mello always hit much harder," he assured Rester calmly. Aizawa twitched at the name, while Matsuda appeared to still be processing the scene, mouth open.

Tears in her eyes, Sayu took a sharp breath and pulled away from Rester. Rester allowed this, but took up a defensive position close to Near. "Why do you say horrible things like that?"

Near considered this, then reached for the closest Lego blocks to rebuild his city. "I don't see a point in useless words to hide the truth," Near informed her frankly. "Being polite doesn't change the facts, it's just a defensive use of language to keep from facing reality. Matsuda is an idiot, not 'thinking outside of the box'. And your brother is a murderer. He isn't 'good' or 'trying to help', he's invented excuses to justify an attempt to control the world by killing thousands of people."

"Being polite isn't useless, it keeps from hurting people," Sayu asserted. "Didn't your parents teach you that?"

The albino favored Sayu with his quirky smile that still couldn't reach his dark eyes. "Nope. They died before they could get around to it."

"They died...?" Sayu asked, voice small and stunned. The casual way Near had spoken the fact left her with no idea how to react. The silence in the room was sharp and awkward, as even the detectives had been blind-sided by that information.

They were saved from thinking of a way to respond by Watari announcing that Soichiro and his wife had arrived.

Minutes later, the two entered the room. Sachiko immediately rushed to Sayu's side, enveloping her in a suffocating hug before chiding her fiercely for worrying them. Soichiro entered more slowly, movements stiff and reluctant. He nodded a curt greeting to his former colleagues, even Near.

He then fixed his daughter with a withering, serious stare. "We'll talk about your actions later," he informed her gravely. Wilting under his gaze, Sayu bit her lip and looked down. Sachiko hugged her again before stepping back to her husband's side. "Watari," Soichiro asked the room at large. "Would you show my daughter and wife to our rooms...?"

Watari's voice responded immediately. "Of course, it would be my pleasure."

Sachiko and Sayu looked toward the computers with wide eyes. "...A.I.?" Sayu ventured in amazement.

Matsuda laughed, startled from his more serious thoughts about Near by the question. "No, Watari's just an old man who helps L. Ah-- I mean, who helped L, now he helps Near... and us..." he trailed off, seeming to have confused himself a bit. "He used to bring in the tea and food too, but now that's my job."

Sayu blinked. "Your job is to get drinks and food?"

"...That's not _all_ I do," Matsuda replied weakly.

"Well. I'll put an end to that-- fetching drinks is no job for an important detective," Sachiko asserted briskly, seeming affronted by the idea.

"You think I'm important?" asked Matsuda hopefully. Aizawa snorted.

"Sachiko..." Soichiro began, frowning reluctantly. "We'll be discussing the investigation. You would hear things you wouldn't want to if you kept coming in."

"Dad, we can't just stay in a room!" Sayu protested in distress. "Mom and I would go crazy worrying. It was bad enough in the country, but at least you were there with us..."

"Sayu," Soichiro stated in a warning tone that Sayu was only too familiar with. "I believe you've done enough for one day."

Sachiko placed a gentle hand on her husband's arm and looked up at him. "Sayu is right, dear. Light is my son, too. I want to know what will happen to him. I won't take a side against him, but I can at least make you all more comfortable while you work, and I'm sure Sayu can help me in the kitchen."

Sayu wasn't delighted by that prospect, but if it would let her have free reign of the empty hotel and not be locked in a room with nothing to do, she would take what she could get.

The door to the room opened and a self-composed gentleman still in a suit entered. He seemed incredibly aged, steps carefully measured and expression somber. "My name is Watari, and I am at your service," Watari introduced himself, bowing with his hand to his chest as though he were used to wearing a hat for the gesture.

Matsuda gaped. "Was he that old the last time we saw him...?" he whispered loudly to Aizawa. Aizawa twitched.

"I believe my age has been fairly constant," Watari responded wryly in Aizawa's place.

Embarrassed, Matsuda still carried on. "I meant, you look..." he waved his hand inarticulately about his face, then dropped his arm as Soichiro stared pointedly at him. "Um, nevermind."

"Would the ladies care to follow me?" Watari inquired, apparently having learned that sometimes, for the sake of being polite, Matsuda and his outbursts had to be ignored.

"Um..." Sayu looked hopefully to her father, waiting for his decision.

With both wife and daughter giving him similar looks, Soichiro bowed to inevitability. "Watari, please show them to our rooms, and give them a tour of the building. It seems that kitchen may finally get some use," he added dryly.

"Thanks, dad!" Sayu exclaimed, hugging her father.

Soichiro frowned at her. "You're still in trouble."

"Oh, right..." she sighed.

"This is a great idea! Usually we just use the break room or order out," Matsuda supplied brightly. "I haven't had a home-cooked meal in months..."

Ide shifted, hand thoughtfully to his chin. "It's been a while for me, too, actually. I cook bachelor meals at home."

"Then it's settled," Sachiko announced, seeming relieved to have a purpose again. "I'll start on lunch as soon as we've looked around. Does anyone have requests...?" Looking around the room, she spied Near for the first time and started slightly. "Oh, my-- Sayu, is this a friend of yours...?"

Sayu shook her head emphatically, crossing her arms on her chest. "This is Near. He's taking over for L, so he's leading the investigation now."

Sachiko's eyes widened. "He is...?" She looked to her husband in total shock. "What's the meaning of this? He should be with his parents."

Near was lying in his Lego city once more, feet slowly kicking the air as he moved tiny police figures around the streets. "Don't worry about my qualifications. I've been training to replace L..." Rolling to his side and sitting up again, Near never once met the adult's eyes. Sayu's handprint still marked his cheek. "That's my purpose."

Sachiko turned accusing eyes on Soichiro, dismissing Near's words. "He's just a child... You've been letting him lead everything?"

"Allow me to answer this, if you would," Watari interrupted delicately. Sachiko looked to him obligingly. "Near was raised in a special facility dedicated to creating a replacement for L should something happen to him. There is more to him than his age suggests-- he's more brilliant than you or I, and is ideally suited to this position. L himself chose Near to replace him when he left with your son."

"A replacement...?" Sachiko frowned slightly, maternal instincts showing. "He's barely Sayu's age. He shouldn't be 'replacing' anyone, he should be acting like a child."

"And how did your oldest child act, when he was young...?" Watari inquired in a grave tone.

Sachiko winced at the reminder of Light, but shook her head when Soichiro stepped protectively to her side. "It's fine, dear. Light was always... well, we would make sure he stopped studying sometimes, and he was always very good at making friends. A perfect child..."

"He couldn't relate to children his age for years," Soichiro interject quietly, making himself look at his memories of his son objectively. "He knew how they would react and why, but I had to teach him that it wasn't right to trick his friends into giving him their toys even if he wanted them, or to make them do things that were against the rules so that he wasn't personally responsible for the rules being broken. I think... he may have learned how to act like a child for our sake, by watching the other children. When he was left alone he preferred to be by himself... The only one anywhere near his age that he actually enjoyed the company of may have been Sayu, but then, she's always idolized him."

Blushing, Sayu frowned at the floor, missing her brother sharply. Looking sideways, she saw that Near had stopped playing with his toys, his head turned slightly toward their group and obviously listening. The idea that he might somehow use her father's words against Light caused her to shiver.

Watari nodded slowly. "I suspected as much. Near was never forced to socialize with his peers or change himself to be acceptable to others. It would benefit everyone to keep this in mind when working with him."

Rester had worn a deepening frown throughout their conversation, and he straightened now, shoulders back and hands still clasped stiffly behind himself. "Permission to speak."

"Rester, this isn't the army," Near pointed out. He picked up a soldier toy and stared at it thoughtfully.

Giving a curt nod at the reminder but unable to break the occasional habit, Rester turned his gaze intently to the Yagami family and Watari. When he spoke again, his words were clipped and controlled. "Don't talk about him like he isn't the room."

Taken aback by the man's hostility, Soichiro started to frown, but Watari spoke before him. "Of course, my apologies. Near, I didn't mean to hurt you, only explain you to keep some of the problems you've been experiencing from remaining ongoing. Of course, it's up to you whether you want to discuss your past."

Not bothering to respond to that, Near set the little soldier figure on top of his city wall. Either from indifference or dismissal, he changed the subject. "Weren't you going to show Sayu and her mother around the building? We need to return to work. This has caused a long enough interruption for one day."

Nodding acceptance, Watari quietly escorted Sayu and Sachiko from the room, leaving Soichiro to reacquaint himself with his men.

There was much to catch up on, and the six days he'd been gone seemed more like weeks.

* * *

**A/N:**

I know this chapter didn't have Light and L, I'm sorry! I started writing their part and it's at sixteen pages now and still going, so I've been trying to write it really fast so I could post two chapters to make up for the two weeks, but... I figured waiting several more days just to make up for waiting didn't make any sense! So for now you have a few pages of regular plot...? The next update should be worth it, though...! It will likely be close to twenty pages of L and Kira and has a shower scene. You _will_ get to see L's reaction to the Kira broadcast, but hang tight. Sorry for making you wait! I'm trying to finish it before the week's out.

Also, some of you are probably thinking, "Oh no, another character! Now there'll be even less time for Light and L...!" and if I were reading I'd probably be in agreement... but I'm writing it, and I adore Sayu for some reason. I've been looking forward to bringing her into the story for weeks! Her immediate importance is to bring Soichiro back into the picture, but she has a few other parts to play as well. I really wasn't expecting her to slap Near while writing, though-- but, much as I adore him, the little bastard occasionally does deserve it.

Land of Confusion is by Genesis.

Review responses:

Shadowsole: Heh, Misa was saved this time by the fact that the area she was in was empty-- but yeah, she seems to have impulse control problems in regards to Light. I don't think the shinigami realm would need muzzles, but with some of the weirder shinigami outfits, you never know.

Impervious Marr: Light wasn't so much 'trying to make sense of his emotions' as 'trying madly to think of an explanation that doesn't involve emotions at all, in any way'. Glad Misa made you laugh! I liked the idea of her shouting at the television scene too much to scrap that scene. The Aizawa comment made me giggle! His hair... Have you read Discordant Harmony by Hari-Aisu? She describes Aizawa at one point as Mr. Afrolicious. I nearly died... Sorry I couldn't update sooner!

recipe for insanity: Near seems to be either making people hate him or like him in the story, so it's fun seeing who reacts in what way...! Either is fine by me. I'm glad you liked the kiss, and thank you!

seasnake.756: Hee, 'that damn logic' is my main reason for writing this story...! That and just having Light and L fighting (verbally or otherwise) while still getting to like each other.

SoraXNamine: I updated again! Hopefully will be able to update with chapter nine within the week-- I'm working on it. Thanks!

yellowrose87: The fact that I get any reviews makes me really happy, so...! Thank you for taking the time, though! Yup, Light's a lying jerk. He's perfectly willing to compliment L insincerely for the sake of winning votes. He's a born politician, I think...! Unfortunately, it was just a kiss though! Ryuk's "he got you" was referring to the fact that L just walking behind Light and kissing him threw Light totally off and made him speechless. Basically, L won the round and owned Light before Light completely knew that they had started playing, leaving Light wondering what the hell had just happened and what the new rules were. (Btw, the fact that you had to close your window for a moment because you were made at Kira makes me very pleased...!)

Pluto: Misa's a fun plot point. I'm keeping her around like a loaded weapon! Misa roulette, to see who gets to who first. Nope, no sketches of Ryuuzaki yet-- at this point, Near isn't showing sketches in the hopes that L will abandon Kira and turn to Near's side, since they seem to be not getting along as-is.

Amorpheous: I love the thought you put behind your art...! All of the symbolism is wonderful. I'm glad Goodnight Moon was able to inspire that...! The meanings amaze me, very well-explained. Knowing all of that makes much more sense...! I love how all of the pieces have a meaning and purpose, even ones you added on impulse. Brilliant!

xgothic-rosex: You made me laugh. How am I an idol figure?! Thank you, though! I'm ecstatic that you were actually on edge, and the fact that you can't decide quite what you'd rather have happen amuses me. Thanks again!

BregoArodShadowfax: Thank you for everything you said...! I love thorough reviews. (And all reviews, but!) I'm glad you finished the final exam, I'd have felt bad if reading cost you a grade. If the storylines stop being easy to keep track of, let me know! Coherency and some amount of consistency are things I'm trying to keep in mind. I'm guessing that you're less pleased that the wait for L's reaction has been delayed this time though...! It was unintentional this round. I generally plan everything else in the story (for the chapters I know, at least), and then add in to the outline something like "L and Light here" only a little more vague, with a few ideas. And see what happens. Near and his ironies delight me! He's so much fun to write. I missed writing Mello a lot, but he and Matt are coming back in chapter ten if things go according to plan! Trust me, I do not at _all_ mind long reviews. The fact that reading my story made you want to comment is a wonderful compliment, so I'm happy!

GenmetsuReikou: I don't plan to stop writing it...! (Until it ends itself, that is.) I'm very happy to hear that my changes to the plot of the canon weren't a failure so far, I occasionally worry. Also, I knooow the rule wouldn't work that way-- but at the time I wrote that chapter of GM, I didn't know that. Thought I was being clever, not uninformed. I'm still trying to think how to fix that... may just have to say that for the purposes of this story the rule works a little differently here. I hate things like that though, it's a cheap way to cover a big mistake! Thanks for the reply, though!

NinjAllyKat13: Thank you for the favorite! I'm glad you enjoyed GM.

daiyu amaya: Thank you! Hope you weren't disappointed so far.

BloodRaevynn: Thank you muchly! I don't actually think L has anything close to autism; I always got the impression from the series that he understands social cues and subtlety, but that he either finds it a waste of time to pay attention to social norms and expectations or finds that the ways others react to someone so blatantly outside of the norm is an excellent way to get information on them. Generally, I favor the first option in regard to L. Though I've known a few people with Asperger's, and he and Near do exhibit a few of the symptoms... so I'm not sure. As for the suggestion on how to fix my plot problem with the name-rule, I'm thinking about it-- it's a very useful suggestion. Thank you again!


	9. Downfall

Chapter Title: Downfall

Disclaimer: Death Note isn't mine. If it were... this is pretty much what would have happened, actually.

Rating: R

Pairing: Kira/L

Warning: This chapter gets sort of naughty! Read at your discretion.

Comments: This was only supposed to be a few pages long. Light and L had other ideas, apparently. Mello and Matt should be making a comeback in the next chapter, along with a little more of Sayu and Near.

Clarification: Time zones are a bitch, so to keep confusion to a minimum, this chapter begins on the 20th, the night before Sayu got onto Sakura TV. Due to time zone differences, her message, which would have broadcast sometime close to 10 a.m. on the 21st in Japan, isn't seen by L until quite early on the 21st in their new hideout. (10 a.m. in Tokyo is 2 a.m. in Spain, and since Sakura TV is a local station in Japan, it'd take a bit for the world to catch wind of the event and re-broadcast it.) I figured that would need clarification because trying to figure this shit out to write it took me a half-dozen websites and several sheets of scrap paper. I'd like to thank the World Time Clock for making the chapter possible.

Thank you all for your patience! I know I made you wait a while for this.

* * *

Dead on his feet and looking less than his usual perfect self after the eighteen hour flight from Vladivostok to Madrid, Kira staggered into their room at the Hotel Atlantico as soon as L had opened the door. Hiding his amusement at this, L pulled in the last of their bags and left them near one wall.

Due to a quirk of the Earth's rotation, L and Kira had left Vladivostok a little past one in the afternoon on November twentieth, and after the nearly day-long flight had then arrived in Madrid at ten-thirty that same night. After collecting baggage and travel to their hotel, it was nearing eleven-thirty now.

Luckily, the hotel had allowed the incognito fugitives to check in to their room in spite of the late hour. Had they not, L suspected Kira might have attempted writing the names of the hotel staff into his Death Note in order to ensure his swift access to a bed and shower.

Single-minded in his goal after the long flight, Kira made straight for the bathroom, obviously intent on taking a hot shower as soon as humanly possible.

Not as affected, L took from his own bags the most important items-- his laptop, an assortment of sweets to last him until the restaurants and bakeries would open for the morning, and an apple for their resident shinigami.

Ryuk had the apple devoured before L had time to set his own snacks at the room's desk. Placing his laptop there as well, L let it load as he shuffled across the softly gleaming wooden floors to the floor-to-ceiling windows and drew the cloth curtains down over the decorative gauze beneath.

"Why do you always close the curtains?" Ryuk wondered out loud, watching L with his usual dagger-toothed grin.

L looked to Ryuk blankly. "Having strangers see Light-kun would lead to our arrest." Task completed, he crossed the room as the sounds of Kira's shower became audible. Hopping into the delicate-seeming chair placed before the desk, L used his un-injured left hand to navigate the keyboard, intending to check what news he'd missed during their taxi and plain rides. Lifting the remote for the room's television, he turned it onto a news broadcast and allowed it to run as background noise.

Ears picking up the word 'riot', L blinked, turning his head to peer up at the screen. The news anchor had footage playing from New York, and when that clip was over, more were shown-- brief images of a riot in Tokyo, and one just north of Paris in France that was threatening to spread to the capital. The anchor then went on to report that the protest in Germany had only recently ended.

Returning his attention to the laptop, L looked into this interesting development. It appeared that anti-Kira in Germany had launched a full-scale protest, lining up in the streets with signs and slogans comparing Kira to Hitler and announcing that the world didn't need another dictator. Several signs simply printed the suspected death toll thus far between the three Kira. Though Kira supporters had shown up to protest the protestors, the scene had remained heated but restrained.

The riots in Tokyo and New York seemed to be in response to something that had happened hours before in the news. France's rioting appeared to have been sparked from the other two, and showed no sign of stopping soon.

L hoped that the riots were merely vents, letting off some of the pressure and fear Kira had caused the world. If not, the riots would spread swiftly, and the worst-case scenario wasn't a pleasant one.

Searching over the world news reports, L quickly found several mentions of Kira's broadcast. Tensing, he went to a website that listed both the English and Japanese versions as a media file and streamed them, watching with his expression carefully void of emotion and the thumb of his left hand pressed to pale lips, sweets temporarily abandoned.

When the broadcasts were over, he played them through once more, noting that Kira had at least been careful enough to show nothing of their previous surroundings and had pulled back only enough to reveal the bruise that had spread from his jaw and up his cheek.

Ryuk's laughter behind him was an irritant, but L set it from his mind and methodically checked all other news stories, noting the criminals killed by Kira himself.

Finished, he closed the cover of his laptop and stared into space as his mind worked.

LxLxL

When Kira exited the bathroom half an hour later with his towel around his waist in search of clothing and saw L crouched stonily before his laptop, he paused. "Find anything interesting?" he asked dryly.

L refused to look at him. He'd accuse the other man of pouting, but he had _seen_ L pouting, and this silence had an air to it of angry accusation.

For the first time in his memory, Kira felt a twinge of guilt.

Uneasily, he knelt to open his clothing bag, dismissing the feeling. He rested his Death Note beside him, having taken to keeping it under his clothes at all times when in the public, and close at hand even when alone with L. _Ridiculous. What do I have to be guilty about...? I warned him that I would begin judging again once I had the Death Note._

Still, he kept L in the corner of his vision-- which wasn't hard, with the man crouched in pointed silence not six feet from him. Distracted by L's presence and Ryuk's constant laughter in the background, Kira finally stopped with his bag open and one hand resting on the material inside. He sighed and closed his eyes. _...I actually forgot what I was looking for. Night clothes. How could I forget something that simple?_ the genius asked himself in frustration. Recalling more than a month before when he'd been so distracted after pulling away from L's embrace that he'd had difficulty in dressing himself properly, Kira tilted his head. _...It isn't the same. That was after we had..._ Images and sensations came instantly to the murderer: L's muscled back beneath his nails, the other man's lips on his throat, L's erratic thrusts as his control was finally broken by their pleasure...

Heart pounding from the strength of the memory, Light licked lips that had become strangely dry and ran a hand through his still-damp hair.

There was more than one reason he tried not to think about that night.

A prickling at the back of his neck, and Kira knew that L was watching him now. The man's gaze always had a weight to it, but at the moment Kira didn't particularly want to meet his eyes. Assuming that L could tell what he'd been thinking just by looking at him was nothing but paranoia... but still, it was L. The detective had always been willing to jump to unsavory conclusions about Kira and his thoughts.

"So you'll look at me now?" he asked. "I actually thought you'd be more angry with me than that." Opening his eyes, he turned his head to meet L's stare with a wry expression, carefully hiding his concerns.

"...Yagami-kun is behaving in an uncharacteristic way. Is he feeling guilty...?" L asked him. The man was sitting with obvious tension in his frame, banked fury making his black eyes even more intense than usual.

"Yagami-kun again..." Kira mused. "You remember my name at the most unusual times."

"You evaded my question, implying I assumed correctly."

"I ignored your question," Kira corrected. "Implying it was ridiculous."

Looking back to his bag, Kira found his night clothes neatly folded and drew them out, along with a pair of boxer briefs.

"...Have you ever felt regret for the people you've killed?" L asked seriously, voice soft and without real intonation.

Kira's hand lingered on his clothing, and he remembered his first days after using the Death Note-- sleepless nights haunted by the realization of what he'd done and what he would have to do in order to rid the world of evil.

He shrugged. "Why would I regret anything, L?" he inquired. "Everything I've done is necessary. I'm creating a new world, and losses are to be expected." He glanced sidelong at L. "Do _you_ regret any of the men you've sent to death row or urged the death penalty on?"

Nothing changed in L's expression that Kira could pinpoint exactly, but the older man seemed suddenly weary, lips thinning in reaction to stress and the fingers of his left hand clenching his knee. "Yes."

Startled by the admission, Kira widened his eyes and turned toward L, balancing himself on one knee where he remained kneeling before his bag. "Why?" Annoyed by his instinctive response and assuming correctly that L would use it to decide that Kira might have more respect for his skills as a detective than Kira let on, the murderer composed himself strictly and continued in a tone of mild exasperation. "They were necessary deaths, L. I have no doubt that they were all guilty."

"They were," L confirmed, no uncertainty in his tone. "But they were still deaths due to my involvement, and I hold that responsibility. I remember every name and case... do you?"

Blinking, Kira favored L with a frown. "Of course," he replied. "Since the very first. Honestly, at some point there may be enough names that I'll begin to forget them, but I've only had a year."

"Hyuk, hyuk... That's really something, Light!" Ryuk praised, standing near the foot of the room's red-striped Queen-sized bed. "You've written a lot of names. I can barely remember any names I've written," he confided, mouth open in his amusement.

Kira cast his shinigami a mild look. "My memory is also better than yours. I assume Rem would remember the names _she's_ written," he added.

Missing the barb, Ryuk laughed agreement. "Yeah, she might. Rem's pretty impressive, huh?"

"For a shinigami, apparently so..." Kira replied sardonically. Tensing his legs to stand, Kira noticed that L's gaze had traveled distinctly south of the younger man's eyes. Looking down, it wasn't hard to realize why.

When Kira had knelt and turned, the towel at his waist had come partially unwound to accommodate the movement. This had left his left leg bared almost to the point of indecency and his manhood barely covered.

Twitching the towel closed, Kira stood, clean clothes and Death Note in the hand not securely holding his towel. "Try to occasionally stay focused on our fights," he chided. "If you end all of them trying to ogle or molest me it will become too easy to win."

L shook his head, though whether this was from denial or to clear his thoughts of perverted images, Kira didn't want to know. "Don't worry, Yagami-kun. That should not remain a problem much longer."

Kira waited a moment for L to continue. When the detective neglected to do so, the younger man sighed. "Why, L?" he prompted obligingly.

"Several reasons. With Kira-kun's... announcement, he has made it significantly more difficult for us to stay undetected and safe."

"They knew my face before," Kira pointed out in argument, shifting his weight impatiently. "Why would my message change that?"

L gave him a pointed, patient look that held more than an edge of condescension. Irritated, Kira lifted his chin. Uncurling from his crouch, L sat gingerly in the chair, mindful of his sling and ignoring Kira's offended pride. "You're now known to have me on your side. I appreciate the compliments you gave me on your broadcast, even if you were lying, but I was on the top of the world governments' wanted lists before you turned ten." His dark eyes caught and held Kira's. "It would be best for both of us if we part ways from now on. I don't agree with your methods or ethics, and you seem barely able to stand me. If we separate, I can soothe the fears of the agencies that are no doubt coming after us even now."

Clothes forgotten, Kira stood motionless, processing this.

L wanted to leave.

Gradually, the meaning of the words became real. With L gone, Kira's life would become both more difficult and easier. A lone man with his skills and the money he felt sure L would leave him would be able to travel more easily and hide without issue, and he may even find a hideout where he could settle and cease their constant moving. He would be able to judge criminals in peace without L's disapproving presence threatening his memories and Death Note.

His eyes strayed slowly, reluctantly, to Ryuk.

He would be alone, with only the idiot shinigami for conversation. There would be no more stimulating arguments, moral debates, games of Genius Chess or logic problems to engage his days. He would never wake with the irritating but perversely reassuring knowledge that L had watched over him while he slept, and that if any danger had arisen the older man would have woken him and helped him escape.

It was a displeasing shock to realize that he'd come to depend on L more than he would like to admit.

In the back of his mind, Kira mulled over the realization, as well as L's explanation for staying with Kira in spite of his better judgment. To L, a world without Kira was less interesting.

Reluctantly, Kira decided that the reverse might also be true.

If that really were the case, then it was in his best interests to convince L to stay with him. He had a feeling that any of the more obvious methods of persuasion would fail-- lying and saying either that he would give up on his plans to use the Death Note, or that he'd realized that L was really a fine friend and should stick around, would only arouse L's suspicions. An even more apparent method to keep L with him would be simple seduction, but the thought was abhorrent to Kira.

If he were going to get L to stay with him, it would be on his own terms.

Narrowing his honey-colored eyes, Kira focused an arch look on his irritating companion and gave L a condescending stare of his own, head tilted slightly to allow his bangs to fall into his eyes and frame his face. Even holding his clothes and wrapped in a towel, he was confident in his attractiveness to L. He wasn't about to seduce the other man, but there was no point in not using a weapon that was easily on hand.

"Do you really think that splitting us up is the most intelligent idea, L?" Kira inquired, lacing his words with a mocking undercurrent. "You're already too involved with me to allow you to escape the law. Even if your successor feels some sympathy for you-- which he may, given that he hasn't put up a sketch or photo of you yet-- you would be punished when they caught you. I believe our two minds together are much better than either of us alone, if we work to go on the offensive or to at least find a place where we can hide safely and create a base of operations."

If L was distracted by Kira's pose, he managed not to show it, keeping his expression blank. "Near has not withheld my photo out of sympathy," the detective corrected flatly. "Instead, there is a sixty... no, seventy-eight percent likelihood that he is trying to lure me into betraying you in the hopes of saving my own life, and allowing me my anonymity as both bait and blackmail. Having my face connected to the title of L would make it... difficult for me to live as I had become accustomed to before you received the Death Note."

Kira was grudgingly intrigued. "Having your face known would make it difficult... because you would travel to hotels investigating cases, or because you became personally involved with some of your cases?"

L's face was at its most blank. "In general, my life would become more difficult," he evaded.

"...L, really. What does it matter what I know about your past?" Kira asked, frowning at the dark-haired man and temporarily distracted from his goal. "Whether you want to admit it or not, I've already changed the world. That change is still in its natal stage, but it's growing, and in any case the life you lived before will be affected. If it would even be possible for you to get it back," he pointed out dryly.

"Should I thank Kira-kun for that?" L asked, voice and eyes a challenge.

Kira snorted. "I was stating a fact, L."

"You were asserting your own ego in the form of a fact, in an attempt to pry into my secrets," L corrected bluntly.

"That--" Annoyance flared within Kira, and he wondered why he was even bothering to try keeping L around. The man was always getting under his skin in the most aggravating ways. Reigning in his temper to control his voice, Kira affected an appearance of tolerant exasperation. "L. That wasn't an 'assertion of my ego', I've killed thousands of people. I'm known around the world, and some worship me already. That's a change, you can't argue that."

"Hyuk, I bet he can," Ryuk chuckled to himself, obviously enjoying the show. Kira almost crossed his arms over his chest in irritation, but was stopped by the knowledge that he would almost certainly flash L if he attempted that.

Which would probably win him the argument, but he didn't feel he needed that sort of help just yet.

"As Kira believes," L stated drolly. "We can discuss this after I am finished with my shower..." The underweight man pulled himself up and shuffled toward Kira.

Kira remained solidly in his way, glaring. "No. I've told you before, you can't walk off in the middle of an argument. This isn't 'as I believe', and unless all of that sugar has addled your brain, you'll agree. How can you deny that I've changed the world?"

Stopping before Kira, L met-- and kept-- Kira's gaze with his black eyes. Some unreadable thought flickered in the blank orbs, and Kira felt that he had truly drawn L's interest once more. "...However prominent the subject of Kira is to the world right now, if Kira were to die soon, it would become old news within years-- an event that seemed to have great import only to those directly affected. Crime and war would resume immediately. You might earn a chapter in the children's history books... but then again, you might not. Perhaps only a few pages. Your method of killing as well as your purported reasons for the murders would remain in discussion-- mostly among philosophers-- but the reasoning of mass murderers is always an interesting topic to some. The changes you've made are transient. Your pride and ambition blinds you... Light-kun. And that is a dangerous thing."

Body tense and hands clenched, Kira only knew his teeth were ground together from the ache in his jaw and the blood in his temples pounding in time to the liquid fury that seemed to have invaded his veins. "I'm not the blind one, L. Do you really think you've stayed with me for your own entertainment? That you gave up your way of life and are risking death, staying with a man whose morals and methods you don't even agree with, only because the world isn't as interesting if I die?" Kira snorted disparagingly. "Or even if you've deluded yourself into believing that it's only because of the version of me that you like to remember, innocent and trusting you to believe in _me_, not your own conviction of my guilt. You would burn the Death Note if you could get a hold of it, but it wouldn't be as easy as you think."

L's face had closed off again, walls dropping firmly into place as Kira spoke. In the pause while Kira waited for him to respond to the baited question, the detective merely stared, and Kira resumed his speech after a moment with his anger flashing in his eyes.

"It wouldn't be easy for you," Kira repeated. "Because you would miss me if you made me lose my memories again. The battle would be over, and you would be left with how I used to be. That isn't winning, that's a forfeit-- that would be admitting that you've given up, and that my will was stronger than yours."

"This is not about winning or losing, Light-kun," L asserted quietly.

Kira stared at the other man for a heartbeat, and then, unexpectedly... he laughed, barely believing L had just said that. "It's always about winning with us, L," he pointed out. "If you're telling yourself differently it's just another lie. Do you really think you'd be happy or satisfied if I lost my memories...? I think you'd be left with the feeling that you missed a play you could have made, that somehow you could have made me change my ways or found a way to make me harmless without destroying the Death Note. We've been playing a game all along, but you keep convincing yourself that pushing the pieces off of the board is the same as winning."

"...We don't play with pieces," the detective remarked. Still, he appeared to be really listening to Kira's words now. His expressionless eyes had a tension around them as if he would be frowning if his control weren't better, and his lower lip was dangerously close to pouting.

Knowing he had won that round had put Kira into a much better mood. He affected a sympathetic, coaxing look. He would have put his hand to L's shoulder for the look to really work, but it would have required dropping either the Death Note or his towel, and neither of those options were really desirable. "You don't _want_ to leave, do you? If we work together, no one can catch us."

L's face went blank once more, and Kira knew that it was the other man's way of saying that Kira's ploy had been recognized. "I don't believe that I should work with you, Kira-kun. It would be better if you were caught."

Kira arched his eyebrows. "Ahh," he murmured. "Now I see. This isn't about safety at all-- you're feeling guilty for helping me. You weren't sure you could take the Death Note from me, so you decided to remove your help and see if I got captured. Not directly going against me, so my death wouldn't really be your fault..." Kira snorted. "Mildly clever, but also a completely stupid plan. Why don't you just go against me, then? Hide yourself in some hole and give out information to Near, or tell him where I am and escape at the last minute?" He studied L's face, then shook his head slightly. "You don't really know what you want, do you? Leaving wouldn't condemn me to death, but it would make it more likely for me to be captured. You don't want me to die, you just think I _should_, because you see me as a criminal. L..." Kira leaned closer to the other man confidentially, meeting his gaze directly. "You saved my life. Have continued to save it for the past several weeks. If I'm a criminal, you're guilty as well." Straightening again, he shrugged. "Isn't it easier to just accept that I have the powers of a god, and am judging for the good of the world? You're a just man, and you would have a place in my kingdom."

"..." L gave a slow blink. "...Kira-kun almost had me, before he reminded me of his god-complex."

"Fine, then." Kira stepped aside to let L pass. "Wash your own hair. Don't worry-- in the time it takes you to shower with that arm, I should only be able to judge... a few hundred more criminals."

Even with a genius mind, that appeared to floor L. He blinked, then blinked again, attempting to process conflicting information. "...Kira-kun is... trying to bribe me into staying?" he suggested. "You don't seem to be feeling guilt for breaking my arm."

Kira snorted. "Why would I feel guilty for something that was your own fault? If you hadn't stolen the Death Note-- and then _torn_ it-- I wouldn't have had to break your arm."

LxLxL

L studied Kira for several moments, slouching once more and bringing his thumb to his lips as he considered his options.

On the one hand, Kira really was an unpleasant person, and his murders showed no signs of stopping... also, L agreed that remaining with Kira would make him culpable, an ally to the other man's crimes even if he himself did nothing.

On the other hand... Kira had just offered to shower with him.

Even if, as he suspected, Kira intended it strictly as a way to torture L in payback for implying that Kira was not as perfect and powerful as he believed... it was still a shared shower.

"...Was Kira-kun's offer serious?" he asked, looking to the ceiling in thought.

"What happened to 'Light-kun'?" Kira asked wryly. "And yes, it was. I'd be wearing my briefs, of course, but I would help you wash."

"...Why?"

Kira sighed. "Haven't you already determined that? You're the world's three greatest detectives, aren't you?"

"...Not anymore." L tilted his head, then returned his eyes to Light. "There's an eighty-five percent chance that your offer of a shower is intended as revenge against me for accusing you of having a god-complex and for stating that Kira-kun would be worthy of only a few pages in a history book for children."

Kira gave L a look of offended irritation that, L was certain, was entirely contrived. "That isn't my plan, L," he lied. "I simply hate inefficiency. Imagining what it must be like for you to shower annoys me." That was also a lie. L suspected that Kira felt nothing but vengeful amusement for L's current handicap. Pointing any of these facts out would be ultimately useless, however.

"...Kira-kun imagines me in the shower?" L asked instead, widening his eyes.

Real irritation now. "L, shut up. If you talk to me again before we reach the bathroom, the offer is off."

L nodded once to show his understanding. When he started for the bathroom, however, Kira didn't follow. Looking back and seeing Kira setting his clothes and Death Note on the bed and lifting his briefs, L lingered.

Without looking around, Kira spoke in a threatening tone. "Keep walking, L. I'll be in in a moment."

Disappointed, L did so. As he opened the bathroom door, he heard Kira warning Ryuk to stay in the bedroom or lose his apple privileges.

LxLxL

When Kira entered the bathroom, L had already removed his makeshift splint and sling and was working on his shirt.

Rather than helping, Kira crossed his arms on his chest and leaned against the doorway, watching with obvious curiosity as the older man set his teeth to his left sleeve, pulling his arm free from it. After that, he twisted the shirt over his head. By a series of careful, patient movements, he finally freed his injured right arm of the shirt, wincing whenever his fingers twitched or his arm was bumped by the material. When he was finished, he leaned against the sink counter to recover, right arm close to his stomach.

"You're lucky you wear such loose clothes," Kira commented. "If you dressed like a normal person that would have caused you to pass out."

"I would advise against you breaking your arm, then," L responded flatly.

Snorting amusement, Kira stepped around the other man to turn on the water and adjust the temperature. He could feel L's eyes lingering on his backside as he bent down, but he gritted his teeth and tried to ignore it, cheeks warming slightly. "Pervert," he accused L.

"Light-kun is convinced of his own perfection, is he not?" L asked idly. "It would make sense for him to be admired. In any case, I've never made it a secret that I desire you. Would you have looked if it were me bending down...?"

Kira gave L a mild glance over his shoulder. "Yes, I would have. I'm endlessly disturbed by the fact that a person who eats as much junk as you do is actually underweight. Your skin is also an unhealthy color, and when you crouch like this your spine sticks out. It's an eye-catching sight." With practiced ease, Kira neglected to mention the fact that he had on more than one occasion had to suppress a desire to run his fingers over L's back just to see what it would feel like when the man was in his usual bizarre sitting position.

He finished adjusting the water and stood, brushing at his hands as though the faucets might have had dirt on them. With a sweeping gesture and arch of his eyebrow, he invited L into the shower.

"...Light-kun does not paint a very flattering picture of me," L observed. Straightening, he let his baggy pants and boxers drop to the floor unceremoniously, stepping over them to reach the shower.

Grimacing, Kira stooped once more, picking L's dirty clothes up and setting them aside, now neatly folded. They would be bundled together later, and when enough were dirty the two would find a laundromat and clean them.

"Just be thankful that I haven't killed you yet," Kira replied, washing his hands after touching the clothes.

"The notebook would not work..." L reminded, standing in the shower's spray and glancing at Kira with what the murderer suspected to be hidden amusement.

"I meant with my bare hands."

"Ah. It seems that Light-kun would not want to get hands dirty," L observed, dark eyes staring pointedly at Kira's hands beneath the faucet.

Kira arched an eyebrow, shaking his hands dry in the sink on the assumption that they'd only be getting more water on them in a moment. "Says the man who holds everything as though it might contaminate him," he reminded L sardonically.

L tilted his head in a silent, 'touché'. "Will Light-kun be stepping into the shower and getting his briefs wet, or will he be sensible and discard them? If he plans to stand outside of the shower to help me, he will still become wet."

"..." Kira frowned. Getting into the shower with L and no clothes seemed like a very bad idea.

Standing under a shower head in his briefs, however, seemed appalling.

Aggravated by the small defeat, Kira hooked his thumbs into his boxer-briefs and slipped them off, projecting an air of nonchalance. Though he'd stepped from a shower with L in the room before and knew also that the man had previously been prone to videotaping him while he bathed, it was somewhat more awkward knowing that L was watching him and thinking perverted things.

Folding his briefs, he set them aside and stepped back into the shower behind L, sliding the glass door closed.

"...Kira-kun folds his underwear?"

Kira narrowed his eyes. "L, don't start."

"...I was only curious. I had never noticed this habit of Light-kun's before."

"I've had it since I was a child. Now get your hair wet and shut up, or I'm leaving you to wash yourself one-handed," Kira commanded, arms crossed in annoyance over his chest.

Sighing, L obliged, ducking his head at last under the water's spray.

Kira's eyes followed the water as it soaked through the older man's hair and streamed down his back. Noticing the dark bruises marring L's pale skin from the other man's collision with the coffee table the day before, the murderer frowned to himself and placed his fingers lightly on the bruises.

L went completely still under his touch, even his breathing stopping for a moment. Kira immediately pulled his hand back and crossed his arms. "I hadn't seen the bruise before," he explained unnecessarily. Immediately, he cursed himself for the inane comment.

"Light-kun does not need to make excuses for wanting to touch me," L replied quietly. Drawing his hand through his hair to push the dark locks out of his way, L glanced over his shoulder and fixed Kira with his gaze.

Unaccountably nervous, Kira covered, as he usually did when uncertainty very rarely struck, with arrogance and annoyance. Using his search for the small hotel-supplied shampoo bottles as an excuse to break eye-contact, he poured a decent amount of the scented substance onto his hand before re-capping the bottle and setting it aside. Grateful that L was still facing away from himself and that the other man wasn't taller, he reached up to begin.

Shampooing someone else's hair was an entirely different experience, Kira found. It was disturbingly intimate. Surprisingly, L kept himself quiet as the younger man adeptly worked his thick hair into a lather. When he reached around to make sure he'd caught L's bangs as well, Kira spied a tiny trail of soapy water trickling down from L's hair. Without thinking, he nudged his lather-free wrist against the other man's forehead before the shampoo could reach the detective's eye.

If he kept his mind off of the fact that he was cleaning the hair of an irritating genius he'd had sex with a month before, Kira could almost delude himself into thinking this situation was like when he had been years younger and helping his little sister take her baths.

He frowned slightly. _Of course, cleaning Sayu wasn't really anything like this. Sayu is family, helping her was expected. This is just... domestic._ That thought, in itself, was disgusting.

"...Did I do something to make Light-kun angry with me?" L inquired, voice passive.

"What? No, why did you ask?" Kira responded. Realizing he'd been angrily kneading the shampoo into L's scalp when his thoughts had turned, Kira stilled his fingers and pulled them free with a wince at his slip in control. "...I was thinking about something else, I didn't notice."

L nodded. "If Light-kun would refrain from thinking about whatever upset you while helping me, it would be appreciated," the man deadpanned.

Snorting at that, Kira gave L a light shove toward the water. "Rinse."

"...Do I need to remind Light-kun that he is not, in fact, God?" L queried.

"Do I need to remind _you_ that this assisted-shower is a privilege, not a right?" Kira drawled in response. "Rinse."

Obliging this time in a slightly mutinous way, L stepped back under the shower's spray and did as told. Rinsing his hands in the water that escaped around the detective's bony frame, Kira ran a hand through his hair and breathed deeply, disliking how the muggy, heated air stuck to his skin and tongue. The sliding doors of their shower had already fogged completely, in spite of the bathroom fan.

"Done," L announced flatly, pushing his hair back again.

"I can see that," Kira observed dryly. Finding the conditioner and pouring some of that out as well, he glanced sidelong at the older man. ..._Wasn't I supposed to be torturing him?_ he wondered at himself. Shaking his head, he worked the conditioner into L's hair as well.

When the other man immediately moved to rinse himself, Kira stopped him with a firm hand on his good arm. "What are you doing?"

"...Rinsing." L blinked at him. "Do I have to wait for a command?"

Ignoring that, Kira gave L a stern look. "Do you always rinse out the conditioner as soon as it's in your hair?"

L simply stared at Kira, waiting for the point and not giving the obvious answer. His thumb lifted slowly to his lips.

"No wonder your hair always looks like that," Kira muttered, shaking his head. "L. You leave conditioner in, and it can actually condition. It will leave your hair... why are you smiling?"

Apparently in spite of L's control, one corner of the detective's mouth twitched up, and then the other. "Do all murderers worry about hair that often?"

Kira glared. "We're in a shower, now. I could shove you, and you would crack open your head, and no one could catch me."

L's smile twitched slightly wider before fading to general amusement in his black eyes. "Showering is simply a way to stay clean. Normally, I don't bother with conditioner at all. Likewise, clothing is simply to keep oneself covered for social reasons."

Arching a wry eyebrow, Kira snorted. "Which explains why you don't wear socks-- no one sees them...?"

"No." L shrugged, looking away and rubbing the bottom of one foot against his leg absently. Kira found the gesture somehow amusing when the other man was naked. "I hate socks. They're too confining. Loose shoes are okay, but they're clumsy. They make walking less efficient. I prefer bare feet."

"Knowing you makes me constantly thankful that being a genius didn't make me insane, too," Kira commented. Reaching for a washcloth, he found the hotel's bar of body soap and began to lather it.

"That is entirely debatable, Kira-kun," L argued. "You are, in fact, a near-sociopath bent on ruling the world." Glancing casually to Kira, L froze again. "...I can wash myself," he asserted, voice empty of emotion.

Kira felt a smirk curling his mouth. "I don't think you can. You need to rest that arm or it will never heal," he countered.

"I really think it would be best if Kira-kun handed the washcloth to me..." L tried again.

"L. Be logical," Kira prodded. "You stated yourself that the idea of this shower is to torture you. Washing your hair wasn't torture, was it...?"

"When Kira-kun became angry while washing my hair, it could have qualified as..." L trailed off as Kira placed the washcloth to his back and began to scrub, mindful of the bruises. Swallowing audibly, L finished quietly. "Torture."

Kira's smirk widened smugly. Not bothering to respond, he set about running the cloth in a leisurely manner across L's shoulders and back. Urging L out of the spray of water and to face him, Kira paused, arching an eyebrow in surprise. "Well. It actually takes some of the fun out of it if you're _that_ easy to turn on," he mentioned.

"This is a scene I've thought about before, Light-kun," L mentioned, tone reluctant. Kira paused with the washcloth resting against L's chest, thinking that he probably didn't want to hear this. "...Admittedly, my arm was not broken when I was thinking how it could play out."

Abruptly wanting to be _anywhere_ but trapped in a shower with the lustful detective, Kira made to open the sliding door and escape. L caught him by the wrist with his good hand, holding it firmly.

And, though he could have easily deterred the injured man with one punch in the confined space, Kira again let himself be stopped.

The look Kira turned on L projected annoyance. "What?"

"...I need a question to keep Light-kun from leaving the shower?" L inquired. Kira continued to watch the older man in an unfriendly way until L relented. "...Light-kun is being very difficult right now," he commented.

"Actually, L, I'm being very restrained. You draw out the anger in people," Kira responded acerbically.

L indicated his broken arm with a nod of his head. "I had noticed that already, Kira-kun."

Glancing instinctively where L motioned, Kira couldn't quite stop his gaze from dropping past L's arm to a significantly more interesting appendage. Aggravation at himself and embarrassment made him turn his eyes away, but not before L noticed.

"...Kira-kun has glanced at that particular part of my anatomy several times tonight," L observed in a quiet tone. "Perhaps he is more interested than he would like to admit?"

"L..." Kira warned.

"If you would like a closer look, feel free to--"

The detective was abruptly cut off by Kira's hand over his mouth, the younger genius' honeyed eyes blazing inches from his face.

"I swear to God, L, if you do not shut up, I'm feeding you to Ryuk."

L's eyes widened slightly. Kira slowly removed his hand.

"...Do shinigami really eat peop-- mmf..."

This time, the deterrent from speech was Kira's mouth on his. L apparently didn't mind, as his good arm wrapped itself around Kira's waist to pull him closer. Kira resisted for a moment, hand against L's chest to keep their distance. L's shower-warmed and water-slicked skin proved too enticing, however, and he slowly slid his arm around the detective's shoulders instead.

As their tongues touched and entwined, Kira guided L against the wall of the shower, pressing against him instinctively.

LxLxL

L's nails dug sharply into Kira's back and the back of his head hit the wall.

Kira's stomach against his lower harm had caused the world to flash white, and spots still marred his vision when he could open his eyes around the throbbing bursts of pain. Thankfully, the younger man had realized the cause quickly enough to pull back.

Even with his sight distorted he could tell Kira was about to leave again. As that was completely out of the question, L locked his arm at Kira's back, fingers gripping skin firmly and pulling Kira closer.

"Idiot, you'll hurt yourself," the other man warned in exasperation.

Though that seemed very likely, L chose to ignore Kira's words in favor of dipping his head under Light's jaw to nip at his throat. The other man swallowed a startled noise and retaliated by setting to work marking L's neck with his mouth.

L allowed himself to enjoy the feeling for a moment, until Kira slowly pulled his mouth away. Blinking open his eyes, L followed the younger genius' gaze to where Kira's hand still held the soapy washcloth. Not following why Light had stopped, he turned his dark eyes back to him for a clue.

Kira's head was tilted, eyes narrowed in a calculating manner as he apparently weighed options. "...Light-kun--" L finally attempted, giving the other man's back an encouraging tug with his arm around Kira's back.

"Shh," Kira commanded absently. Meeting L's gaze, he reached a decision, smirking as he lowered the washcloth deliberately between them. Catching his intention, L widened his eyes.

Keeping his left hand on the tiled wall above L's shoulder, Kira draped the water-heavy cloth over L's engorged member, covering that with his slender fingers and giving a leisurely stroke. "This is still a shower, L," he reminded, voice sadistic.

Finding his thoughts suddenly difficult to grasp, the detective tilted his head back, mouth opening to gulp for air in the humid heat of the shower.

Kira's skilled fingers continued to work at L through the cloth, and pleasure sent blood pounding through his veins. The pressing warmth of the steam had combined with the pulsing blood and pain was stabbing into his skull in sharp counterpoint to the delicious feeling of rough washcloth on sensitive skin. "Too... hot..." he panted. L suspected he might pass out soon from the combination.

LxLxL

L's words startled Kira out of the fascination he'd been taking watching the great detective gasping against a wall under his hand. Realizing that it was becoming dizzyingly warm, Light stepped briefly away to turn the water off and crack the stall door open. The rush of cooler air caused him to shiver, and he returned to the other man's side. "Better?"

Dark eyes slid open, and Kira could feel the man wondering why he'd bothered to help instead of turning the heat on higher. Kira snorted. "L, I was in the water, too. It was giving me a headache."

"Ah." Curiosity satisfied, L reached up to pull Kira close again.

Kira let him. "...I'm not always a sadist," he defended himself, frowning slightly as his hand returned to its task.

L made a noise that mixed pleasure with disbelief. "Kira-kun... may believe what he wishes," he asserted, eyes closing again.

Tightening his fingers around L's length, Kira gave the other man few harsher strokes in irritation and bit his neck. To his surprise, L gripped Kira's shoulder fiercely and jerked his hips to meet Kira's hand, groaning.

"..." Annoyance sliding back into smug amusement, Kira licked at the teeth marks on L's neck. "I forgot. You _like_ pain."

Licking his lips, L forced his eyes open again. "Not all pain, just... certain kinds..." L denied.

"Like..." Curious in spite of himself, the younger genius experimented. Another bite to the neck caused L to stiffen against reacting, so Light stepped the game up. Lowering his head, he scraped his teeth over one of the pale detective's nipples.

L gasped, skull thudding against the tiles again as his nails tore into Kira's skin. Hissing slightly at the pain but finding himself undeniably turned on by the other man's reactions, Kira gave in to an impulse to claim another kiss.

The detective met the challenge in his tongue readily, swallowing a pleased murmur he'd made as L's fingers wound fiercely into his hair to hold him in the kiss.

Bringing his hips closer to L's without further injuring the man's fracture was a difficult task with his thoughts sliding away, but Light managed. A twitch of the washcloth set it sliding over both their lengths, erections rubbing slickly together with each pump of Light's hand or straining thrust of the men against each other.

L's hand dropped from Light's hair in an attempt to help him, but did little more than grip Light's hand or get in its way. Breaking from the kiss with a hiss of frustration, Light slapped the detective's assistance away. "Stop that, I'm better at this."

Black eyes blinked distinctly. "...My arm is broken," L pointed out flatly, a slight frown on his kiss-swollen lips.

Kira snorted, left arm pressed against the wall as he did a standing push-up and leaned closer for a kiss that was more of a bite. "Even if it weren't, I'd be better," he asserted. Smirking, he kissed L again, though a part of him regretted the fractured arm. L was more interesting when baiting him came with a risk of being kicked across the room.

L accepted the kiss silently, but a certain mutiny remained in his stiff posture. It relaxed suddenly, and his hand came up to rest against Light's back.

Murmuring encouragement, Light kept control of the kiss and returned to working the washcloth over their lengths.

He didn't register the steady downward path of L's hand. When the first finger slid into the cleft of his ass, he froze and broke the kiss. "L--" he warned.

Too late.

The finger slid teasingly home, and Kira jerked slightly, clenching his teeth against the discomfort. His words came out as something dangerously close to a growl. "Move your hand."

L widened his eyes. "Of course, Light-kun." As though obliging, he took Kira at his most literal-- his hand spread out over the firm muscles beneath it, and another finger wiggled in to join the first, stroking soothingly at Light's passage. Heat from the shower had helped to relax Kira's muscles, and the discomfort Kira would otherwise feel was overwhelmed by an onslaught of memory that closed his eyes.

Against his will, he felt his hips twitch forward, the fingers an inadequate reminder of their only time together. Kira clenched his fist against their trapped members, but the movement only bowed his head against L's shoulder with a gasp of pleasure. "I should... kill you," he panted, gritting his teeth angrily as the strokes of his hand fell into rhythm with the plunge of the older man's fingers into his body.

"Now Kira... knows my thoughts exactly," L agreed, voice tense to maintain its control.

Kira bared his teeth in a fierce smile. Gripping the tiles to keep from crushing L's arm, the murderer closed his eyes and gave up on words for the moment, concentrating instead on the slippery heat of L's flesh pressed against his own beneath a hotel washcloth, the detective's own pants hot against his neck coming slightly slower than the man's fingers working inside of him.

Overcome in moments, Kira bit down on L's shoulder to stifle a groan of pleasure as he found his release. His hips continued to jerk as the seed poured from him, and shortly after L's body tightened against Kira's as the other man came without a sound.

Pulling away to rest against the shower wall and recover, Kira kept his head tilted back and caught his breath, limbs heavy with endorphins. The washcloth fell from his hand to smack against the floor.

When he could open his eyes, he found L watching him as always. He quirked an eyebrow in a silent question at the older man.

"...Can I rinse out the conditioner now?" L inquired.

Caught between a laugh and the urge to punch L's fracture, Kira settled for a mild glare.

LxLxL

When the two were rinsed, cleaned and dry, they made their way to bed. Light pulled on his night clothes as always, while L bothered only with a pair of pajama pants and his sling.

L clambered to his claimed side of the bed, perching on the scarlet-striped covers and bringing his thumb to his mouth as he studied the still-laughing Ryuk, who had apparently stuck his head into the bathroom to ask for an apple when the two had been inside of the shower. Neither had heard him, and he'd returned to the room in disappointment until they returned.

"Ryuk..." L inquired, intense eyes pinning the shinigami as effectively as a human.

Ryuk shifted, finishing his third apple in a row. "Huh?"

"Do shinigami eat humans?"

"..." Ryuk stared in L's general direction, eyes on opposite corners of the ceiling. "...I don't see why we would, but I guess we could. Humans are probably salty, though. I prefer apples."

Kira made an annoyed sound, crawling into the covers and turning his back to L to sleep. "You thought I was really serious?"

"It was a possibility. I had only seen Ryuk eat previously, as Rem showed no interest in food, but there was a forty-eight percent chance at least that a shinigami might exist who would prefer to eat humans."

Ryuk chuckled. "We're not supposed to kill humans directly, but I don't know if there's a rule about eating you if we kill you first by writing your name. I'll ask Kinddara later-- if there's a way to eat you, she'd probably know it."

"Kinddara... how many shinigami are there, Ryuk?" L asked.

Ryuk scratched his chin, looking up. "I can't really tell you that... Anyway, I mostly stay in my area when I'm not in the human world. I could be wrong." Shrugging, he turned away to look at the television set in the corner. "Can we put on cartoons?" Hopefully, he looked back to Kira, then to L.

L met his gaze. "I intend to watch the news while Light-kun sleeps. If you want, you can watch it as well."

The shinigami gave a heavy sigh, the feather collar at his neck seeming to droop in disappointment. "Yeah, I guess..."

With the television on silent, L remained crouched on the bed as Light fell quickly asleep.

LxLxL

The peaceful scene lasted only a few hours.

"Hey... isn't that Light's sister? She's looking pretty pissed...! Hyuk, hyuk."

L's body gave a spasm, head snapping up as he nearly lost his balance. _Myoclonic twitch,_ he registered as his mind cleared. Which meant that he'd been asleep-- or nearly so. Shifting carefully in his crouch, L looked around himself, mind still slightly muddled by his shock and wondering what had woken him.

Seeing the shinigami, the detective rubbed his face and followed the monster's gaze to the TV. "..." He watched as Sayu pleaded with the camera. Reading her lips easily enough to imagine the girl's voice, he pressed his thumb to his lips, hard.

Crawling one-armed across the bed, L unplugged his laptop and brought it to the covers. A little quick typing brought up a copy of the video, and L reached over to shake Kira awake.

"Mmn... visceral reaction to the stimulus of touch..." Kira murmured vaguely as he stirred. His brow furrowed, and his next words were clear and sharp with annoyance. "Why the hell are you shaking me?"

"...Was Kira-kun analyzing our shower encounter in his sleep?" L inquired, distracted from his news by the thought.

"...No," Kira lied, not quite awake or prepared enough to think of a better cover.

"I think you were," L disagreed.

"Is that why you woke me up?" the irritated murderer snapped.

Expression sobering, L pulled the laptop to turn the screen toward Light. Hiding a yawn, Kira gave the detective a mild look for the lack of an actual response. Sitting up reluctantly, he nodded for L to play the video.

LxLxL

By the time his sister ran from the screen, obviously in tears, Light's annoyance had vanished. Instead, he watched in regretful silence. "Sayu..." he murmured. "You don't understand..."

"...It is a difficult thing to accept," L reminded quietly. He was in his serious pose again, one knee raised as he stared calmly at Kira.

"She's an innocent. She's one of the people I'm judging for-- the world as it is isn't safe for her to live in," Kira asserted grandly, casting a frown at L. "She should know that I'm doing it for her."

"...There is an eighty percent chance that realizing that would horrify her."

Kira frowned. "She's always been a fan of mine. She should trust that I know what's best."

"It is easier to manipulate people when they don't think for themselves," L agreed blandly.

Ryuk laughed. Much less amused, Kira gave L a superior frown. "You wouldn't understand-- you don't have a family. They've always supported me."

"Light-kun is forgetting part of his sentence. They've always supported you... until you became a mass-murderer."

"That isn't the point."

"I believe it is."

A brief stand-off as Kira frowned and L stared impassively.

Unable to win a staring contest against a man who rarely felt the need to blink in the first place, Kira looked away in irritation.

"Two points to L," Ryuk observed with a chuckle. "You're not doing so well, huh, Light?"

Kira ignored the shinigami, and, after a moment, met L's gaze again. "You aren't still planning to leave, are you?"

"..." L's shields returned, face expressionless. "It would be the best plan, Light-kun. Near will show a sketch or picture of me eventually. My appearance is... more difficult to hide than yours."

"That would just mean we need a better disguise, or to find a place where we can stay more permanently before that happens," Kira disagreed.

"And before we manage that, I could wear a mask?" L suggested flatly.

There was a moment of intense scrutiny from Kira. "Actually... Well, it might help with your appearance," he observed. "It would hide the bags under your eyes at least."

L's mouth twitched minutely as he resisted a smile. "Does Kira-kun always give handjobs in the shower to men he finds repulsive?"

"No-- I'm certain it was a one-time occurrence," Light returned easily. "So there's no need to concern yourself, L."

Ryuk laughed again, and this time Kira let a smirk grace his mouth.

L brought his thumb to his lips in thought. "...Regardless, it would be best if I leave."

"That subject is getting old," Kira pointed out unpleasantly.

Obsidian eyes rested on hazel. "...Is Kira-kun so desperate for my company he would risk being caught by being in my presence?"

"...You're exaggerating," Kira avoided, frowning. "Having you at my side is less of a hassle for me. You have access to more money and have more shady contacts and access to things like new identification and passports than I would have alone. It's common sense for me to want to have your assistance."

"And my company," L insisted.

A sigh. "Is that what you want? If I tell you that I would be bored without you and that I for some reason have grown used to having you to fight with and talk to, would you be willing to stay? That's insecure of you, L."

"But true."

Kira lay down again, back to the detective. "Believe whatever you want. I'm only staying with you as long as I can use you."

"...Light-kun is not very good at begging," L observed.

A snorted laugh was his response. "I've never begged, L. In any case, once you're gone I'll have unfettered access to my Death Note..." he added. Said note was currently kept close to his stomach, tied in place with a strip of cloth to keep L from slipping it from his grasp in the night. Kira's hand stole unconsciously to it, resting against the reassuring stiffness of the otherworldly notebook kept close to his skin. "I should be able to begin my offensive immediately. Killing a hundred a day should get the public's attention again."

"...Kira-kun has the attention of the public," L murmured. "While we were in-flight, riots began around the world as your supporters fought against your enemies. In France, it's still going. Germany, also, recently enacted a large-scale protest against you."

"Riots..." Kira sighed, rolling to his back in thought and curling his hands beneath his head. "That isn't good. If the Kira supporters are seen engaging in that sort of violence, it will only give me a bad name and give the disbelievers more to fight with. I'll need to get that under control immediately-- the last thing I need is some misguided supporter taking matters into his own hand against a rioter and getting someone killed-- or supporters doing the rioting."

"It's good to see that Kira-kun cares about the innocents who would be injured."

"That was almost like sarcasm, L. Have you been practicing normal speech? You'll be putting emotion in your voice next and showing expressions," Kira predicted dryly. "Of course I care about innocents being hurt. They're the reason I'm trying to create a better world-- people like Sayu and my mother, who should be able to live without being afraid of riots, or war, or criminals. If you spoke with my supporters, you would understand what I'm doing-- there are people who believe in what I'm working for. I've saved lives, L, even if you believe I'm nothing but a murderer with delusions of godhood."

"..." L was silent for a long moment, then looked to the ceiling. "...Kira-kun is wrong," he uttered quietly, tone final. "I can never agree with you, or understand your supporters. Any good you do is fallout, a lateral effect of murder. My life has been dedicated to keeping criminals from hurting the public, by putting them in jail or, in extreme cases, urging the death penalty. Your methods are too extreme, and you have no chance of creating a better world this way..." His black eyes returned to Kira, but his face held no hint of human emotion. "If there was a small percent of hope that your way could succeed, a part of me would want to help you. You're going to be killed, and I don't want to see that happen."

"..." Turning his head enough to meet L's gaze, Kira watched the other man in silent consideration. "If you want me to live, then help me. It's your fault that we're on the run and that my identity as Kira was discovered in the first place. My death would be on your hands," he stated. "If that isn't what you want, don't avoid it and complain that you couldn't do anything but leave, work with me and make a move of your own."

L's thumb pressed slowly closer to his lips as the detective thought. After a long moment he blinked slowly, lowering his head with sinking shoulders as though accepting a heavy burden. "...If we move quickly to a safe location, Near revealing my identity will be a useless tactic," he spoke, voice low and nearly silent. "There are still things I will not do to help you. And if I can get to your Note, I intend to burn it. Whether I would regret your memories disappearing or not, it would be better for the world if Kira is killed... in one way or another."

Tension leaving his body, Kira smiled at his victory, though one hand still dropped again to the Death Note beneath his night shirt. Shifting foot to foot, the shinigami at the end of the bed laughed in anticipation. L's eyes turned slowly to him, regretful.

* * *

Parts of this I like, and parts I'm less satisfied with-- but it's about 24 pages of solid writing, which is one of the longest chapters I've written in general...! Also, I had to actually try L's little getting-naked dance with a loose long-sleeved shirt I had on-hand. It really is possible to get out of the thing with one hand and your teeth, but he's lucky he dresses so lazily. Keeping the "broken" arm from bumping anything didn't work. If you noticed, I started putting "Light" rather than "Kira" occasionally. He's finally starting to accept himself, and also... it's just annoying me to always write "Kira".

I fixed a few points in earlier chapters, but nothing major enough to affect to the story, I don't believe. People who suggested changes needed are credited for the edits in those chapters, though for things like trying to clarify that Kira didn't show the background or much of himself in the video, several different people were confused...! Sorry about that, I tried to make it a little more clear. Two edits were slightly major, with shadowform helping me out by showing I'd jumped to a conclusion I shouldn't have with L's reasoning on the fake rule (hopefully I fixed that! It took a few tweaks in some different paragraphs of that chapter, and an addendum paragraph from L's POV at the end of the chapter.), and also with NightmareTears, who observed that by Misa writing down her name in the Death Note, even for the purpose of directing Nori's actions, she'd be stone dead. I mis-remembered something somewhere that had made me think Misa's words would be okay, but on review decided I'd simply overlooked the most basic fact of the Death Note! Not something I'm proud of, but I'm grateful it was pointed out so I could fix it. Continuity and clarity are hard to manage alone.

I still haven't decided how to fix my largest blunder: my initial ignorance of the full meaning of the "misspelling rule". L writing his own name down intentionally would mean that he, also, would be very much dead. The closest I can get to explaining it thus far is to say that in this story, the use of that rule is very literal, and it doesn't work in the way mentioned in How To Read. I really, really detest a lame excuse like that, but the plot point's become mildly integral to the story now. I grit my teeth whenever I think of it...! With the time I put into the story trying to keep things in order, I hate that I messed up on something so important.

Kinddara is a shinigami mentioned in How to Read, who's listed as being very violent and having a high kill list. I figured if anyone would know if you can eat a human, it'd be her. And, as a side-note, L's arm isn't really broken. It's fractured, so it'll be a while before it heals, but not as bad as it could be. He just doesn't want to go to a hospital for an x-ray.

Downfall is by Matchbox Twenty. Heard it at work and scrabbled for a pen to get the lyrics down.

Review Responses:

Skyhe: Yup! He has... eh... a very important job...? People need food and drinks.

Amorpheous: Thank you so much! I tried to make her rant at her brother believable. She's fun to write. The explanation was easy to understand on the painting, too...! So thorough, I'm still impressed.

NightmareTears: Thank you again! Glad you liked the story, and sorry about that oversight! It's hopefully been fixed now. No one else caught that, so thank you! It was such an obvious error in retrospect, but I thought I had some reason for writing it that way... Nope!

recipe for insanity: (Brief crossover from your Arcadia review) I know I can reply through the reply button, but I'm a very absent-minded person. By putting the responses in the story I make sure I don't forget anyone and that I actually reply-- otherwise I'm afraid I'd stop or forget. FFnet is also attached to an email I don't generally use, and I don't want to connect it to another. I'm sorry...! Back to this story: Near's supposed to annoy people, I think. I love his total lack of caring what others think, too! It's weirdly cute. For L, too.

BregoArodShadowfax: Now you don't have to wait for the chapter! It's here. Near does seem to grow on people somehow. Also, thanks! I'm trying to give Sayu reason to be there, so the fact that you saw her as a new way for the investigators to view Kira is wonderful!

Shadowsole: Thanks!

SoraXNamine: Thank you! Near and Sayu have interesting interactions.

Japanimaniac13: Heh, yeah-- Light's more fun to write with his insane Kira aspect, so I prefer keeping it around and not making him a fuzzy little sex bunny. I miss Mello and Matt too! They'll be back soon. Also, Near's cheerful response to Sayu was partly because he seems to react that way when information about himself he'd rather not be known but that'll inevitably be learned is discovered-- like when Light, in the canon, tells him he's learned who Near is, Near's cheerful about it. Sort of a, "Yup, that's true, what's it to ya?" Seriously, though, you referencing Matt and Mello as 'red and yellow'...! I sort of want to use that in the story later, maybe as codenames. Would you mind, if I credit you? It makes me giggle too much.

Pluto: Near doesn't necessarily like L much in this story-- he admires him, but in a way that makes him want to follow and then overtake the name of "L". But, it's also possible there is some emotional connection he's just dismissing, too. Thanks...! I've been trying to remember all of the characters. There's one, actually, that I was ignoring for a bit, but he should pop up again next chapter.

Seasnake.756: I have a few possible plans for Sayu, but things are still a bit up in the air at the moment...!

xgothic-rosex: Thanks...! I'm glad this inspires you to write, and that you didn't mind the brief switch to the investigation again.

Believe Bridesmaid: Thank you...! I prefer having them still fighting after sex... keeps things more interesting to me. I forgot that genii is a way to pluralize geniuses, so for just an instant I was baffled by the reply, wondering how they became djinns. That's pathetic, huh? It made so much more sense once I got my head on straight. And yeah, the story would have been over pretty quickly if L and Light skipped away holding hands and L willingly killed everyone he'd known. I don't think I'll be having L make an announcement, but at the same time, I'm not sure. A lot of my plans are more vague than they seem. (Also, your username? Wonderful!)


	10. With CatLike Tread

Chapter Title: With Cat-Like Tread

Disclaimer: Death Note isn't mine. If it were... this is pretty much what would have happened, actually.

Rating: R

Pairing: Kira/L

Comments: I'm back! Sorry, I've been a complete bastard these last weeks, and instead of keeping on top of things and working a bit each day on this like I previously did, I managed to convince myself that I'm complete crap at storytelling and the world would be better off if I stuck to things I'm more competent at, like reading or art. In the end, I decided if anyone's still willing to read, I would like to finish this story, wherever it takes me, and just work to keep it something I enjoy. Hopefully, you'll all continue to like it. Good thing about this: after taking about two months for a mental vacation, I've got ideas for chapters 12 and up...! I'd only gotten to 11 before, and I think the brick wall my brain then crashed into had some contributions to my hiatus. Thank Mello and Matt, though! This scene would not get out of my head, so they started me writing again.

As a side note, did y'all notice that the PSP wasn't released in Japan until December of 2004, and other places even later...? I completely forgot that-- it wouldn't have been around 'til what... the day before Mello's birthday? Damn. Now changing previous mention of PSPs to Game Boy...!

* * *

"...two dead and twenty-seven injured in the continued Kira Riots of France, now in their third day..."

Mello watched the evening news with mild interest, snapping an occasional bite of his latest chocolate bar. Matt, on the couch beside him, kept up a muttered stream of invective at his favorite Game Boy adventure. The habit was familiar enough to Mello that it rarely irritated the volatile young man.

The news droned on.

"...would-be Senator Michal Phelps died in a hunting accident just two hours ago. The man, most known to the public for his controversial stands on subjects ranging from abortion to the rise of Kira, was also a staunch supporter of the NRA..."

With an irritated sigh, Mello collapsed into the couch cushions, a severe frown twisting his lips that even the sweet taste of chocolate couldn't erase. "Shit, this is boring. At least the riots had arson and murder, that guy was just an idiot..."

"Yeah," Matt drawled noncommittally, goggled eyes locked on his game. "It's so much more fun when people are killing each other off, right?"

Mello snorted, dragging a booted foot onto the couch and taking a decisive bite. "Like those games you're always playing are better?"

"Animated violence. It's not the same thing."

"Yeah, it's less interesting," Mello retorted. Annoying his easy-natured friend took ingenuity, but it was a hobby Mello took some pride in, though he wasn't above taking cheap-shots. Any direct insult to gaming as a whole or games Matt loved in particular was a quick way to shut the boy down and send him into a nettled silence.

This time was no different-- Matt hunched closer to his game, the line of his back telling Mello he'd scored a hit.

Smugly self-satisfied, the blond returned his attention to the television in time to see the reporter discussing a recent death.

"...young actress had received acclaim for her roles in several series, and most recently was set for a part in the latest film by Nishinaka, which would have starred popular idol Hideki Ryuga as well as Amane Misa. Due to MisaMisa's revelation as the second Kira, however, production was put on hold. Kaiou-san's body was discovered early this morning by her mother. Officials say the cause of death appears to be natural-- an aneurism of the brain that occurred during the night. This is a tragedy that hits close to the heart, and our thoughts, and prayers, are with Kaiou-san and her family." The reporter took a moment, either to recover his composure or to wait for an appropriate length of time before moving on to the sports segment.

Mello clicked the TV off, the last bite of chocolate forgotten in his mouth. Tossing the remote aside, he swallowed. "That was interesting..."

"...What, that they called it a tragedy even though the girl just died in her sleep?" Matt asked, pulled reluctantly from his pointed ignoring of his companion. "That's not that interesting, it's always a 'tragedy' when they're young. I think they have a set list of words, so they just need to fill in the news report like an ad-lib--"

"No, shut up," Mello cut in casually, dismissing Matt's words and crumpling his wrapper absently. "I meant the girl, in general. She works with Amane, then dies in her sleep after the second Kira goes missing? That's too much of a fucking coincidence."

"So then it's probably not a coincidence," Matt shrugged. His face gravitated closer to his game as it did when he was approaching a boss battle, and his tone became more distracted. "Great thinking, it'll probably give us a lead..."

When it became obvious that the other youth was going to sit on this possible lead on the Kira case and play games instead, Mello favored Matt with an appalled glare. "Matt. _Matt_." The red-head appeared not to hear, muttering stats to himself as his fingers furiously tapped at the handheld's buttons. "You're completely useless as a sidekick, you know that? Get off your ass and find out something about Kaiou for me."

Matt agreed with a noncommittal grunt, not moving his eyes from the game.

Mello rebounded the empty wrapper off of the other genius' hair. Matt ignored it. A punch to Matt's arm was shrugged off, and a sharp kick to the other boy's side only caused Matt to fall sideways with a curse, fingers a rapid blur as he made a narrow save. He didn't even bother to straighten himself from where he'd fallen, too absorbed by the game.

LxLxL

Cold metal touched the side of Matt's head, and his breath stopped for a moment as he froze instinctively. "M-- Mello?" His eyes slid sideways, straining to look along the blond's lithely muscled arm to the pale eyes of a natural predator.

Mello gave a slow smile.

The gun pulled smoothly away, and Mello rested his gun arm casually on the back of the couch, a smug glint in his naturally intense eyes. "That worked better than I thought."

"_What the hell were you thinking?!_" Matt snapped when his heart started beating again. Tearing his goggles off, he lifted onto one knee on the couch, only the thought of Mello's gun stopping him from pounding his friend's face in a real-life battle simulation. "That thing is loaded!"

"Of course it's loaded, it's for shooting people," Mello retorted. "Anyway, the safety's on."

"It's for shooting _other_ people, not me." Letting out a breath, Matt pulled his goggles back on, keeping them on top of his head. "...Don't do that again, all right?"

A shrug was his response. "Sure, whatever."

"I mean it, Mello," Matt asserted. "Get it through your crazy head--" He realized Mello was watching him with boredom, expecting a lecture. Grimacing, he sighed and retrieved his handheld, turning it off. "Nevermind, I should have expected that. I don't even know why I'm surprised-- of _course_ you'd threaten your friends with a gun."

"Friends?" Mello inquired drolly.

"Friend," Matt corrected. He rolled his eyes in a long-suffering way and sighed. "Why do I follow you around, anyway? I bet Near wouldn't try to shoot--" The gun returned to Matt's head, and Matt smirked this time. Ignoring the semi-auto, he pulled their small laptop over to his side of the coffee table and pulled it out of standby. "That won't work twice."

"The safety's off, this time."

Matt's eyes flew to Mello, who met his incredulous gaze with a wicked smirk. Sighing explosively, Matt glared and knocked Mello's hand away with one glove. "Crazy bloody git," the younger man muttered. Lighting up a cigarette, he took a calming drag, then set the filter to his lips to free his hands. His focus turned to the laptop and he instantly settled into his job, tapping keys faster than Mello could follow and with his eyes dulling almost to a trance.

LxLxL

Always grudgingly fascinated by his friend's skill with technology, Mello lounged on the couch, one boot resting against Matt's side. The concentration Matt put into this sort of work made his attention to video games pale in comparison, and Mello toyed with the idea of his usual hobbies when Matt had a project-- kicking him, putting ridiculous bows in his hair, or drawing on him, knowing the other man would disregard such non-essential interference until his task, whatever it had been, was complete.

Instead, he satisfied himself with watching the screen as windows flashed and disappeared, Matt slipping seamlessly through search engines, back doors and databases both government and commercial.

When the cigarette, forgotten, threatened to drop its burning ash onto the distracted genius' lap, Mello darted forward and plucked it from Matt's lips.

Eyes thoughtful and unusually serious, he rolled the filter briefly between his fingers and considered the glowing end of it before putting it out in a half-full ashtray on the table. The smoking was a habit he bitched about, but in a way, the sharp smell of the smoke had become as familiar to the mercurial young man as Matt's constant, shadowing presence.

LxLxL

After nearly an hour, Mello became bored with watching the evidence of Matt's abilities and instead resorted to balancing bits of chocolate between his teeth while seeing how quickly he could load, unload and draw his firearm from his horizontal position.

He was just finishing a draw and bringing his gun to bear when Matt emerged from the depths of the data-streams with a quick intake of air. Shaking his head to clear it, Matt blinked at Mello, saw the gun pointed square at his head, and gave Mello a look which clearly stated Mello's methods of amusing himself made his sanity come into question.

Deciding to ignore that for now, the red-head concentrated on his findings. "I've got a riddle for you. How does someone buy a one-way ticket to L.A. and die three days later in Japan?"

Mello swallowed his chocolate, idly scratching the side of his neck with the barrel of his gun. Matt winced. "She took the flight?" the blond inquired.

"The ticket was picked up," Matt confirmed.

A cruel smile spread across Mello's face, and he let out a wicked laugh, head tilting back on the arm of the couch. "No wonder we couldn't track her down from here-- the little bitch didn't go anywhere. She's got guts," he chuckled grudgingly, body languid now with self-satisfaction. "Luckily, she's also an idiot. Hey, Matt," he prompted, a rare smile still on his mouth as his pale eyes gleamed with mirth. "Want to go to Hollywood? I hear an actress we've been waiting to see might be in the area..."

Seeming slightly distracted as he watched his friend, Matt blinked and took a moment to respond. "Huh? --Yeah, Hollywood, right."

Mello's smile faded as he studied the technology addict. "What?" Instantly, his temper flared, expression darkening as he levered himself up on one elbow. "If you don't want to go, just fucking say it. I don't need you along, I just--"

"Whoa-- Mello! Calm down," Matt parried instantly, lifting his hands and obviously exasperated. "I'll go, I want to go. You just... don't usually laugh," he finished, uncomfortable. "Not since..."

"The little robot showed up and took my place?" Mello bit out. "Making the meaning of my existence pretty much fucking worthless? That?" Shrugging, Mello sat up, reaching blindly for his half-eaten chocolate bar and taking a fierce bite. "Don't worry, I'm over it."

"..." Matt regarded his companion with a frown, attempting to think of a response that wouldn't be sarcastic enough to tip Mello from pissed-off-at-the-world to must-kill-Matt. He finally settled on, "Yeah, sure," in a doubtful tone of voice and allowed the subject to drop.

A tense silence crackled between them, fading gradually over the next hour. When it seemed safe again, Matt broached the subject of plane tickets and packing, and they returned to their accustomed bickering as their plans developed.

LxLxL

One room over, Stephen Loud, alias Stephen Gevanni, sat on his bed with one hand to the headphones on his ear. Arrayed around the room was an impressive display of surveillance equipment, showing Matt and Mello from several angles as Gevanni listened in to the audio taps.

His mission had been kept a secret from the others at the Kira Headquarters, and he had slipped quietly from the consciousness of all but Near and Rester. Near was convinced that any others learning of Mello's whereabouts would spell disaster to Mello's chances at finding the second Kira-- and, from Stephen's analysis of the character traits of the other Investigation members, Stephen believed this to be an accurate conclusion.

The night after Yumi's return, Near had assigned Stephen the task of locating Mello in private. He was contacted nightly by the boy, who would receive updates on his progress from Stephen's temporary apartment within Tokyo.

In the end, it hadn't been any information gleaned from Yumi's confused recollections of the area where she'd been held that led to Stephen's discovery of Mello's whereabouts, but Mello's own addiction.

Near had provided Stephen with what information he had on Mello as far as habits and appearance were concerned. Given that Yumi, too, had corroborated with Near's account of Mello's fanaticism toward chocolate, Stephen had eventually, at his wit's end, hacked into the files for Hershey's international division on an impulse.

After much monotonous searching of account logs, he had found a breakthrough: An account, several years old, had transferred its end location from a privately owned orphanage in Winchester to a hotel in Tokyo. Boxes of plain Hershey bars were delivered regularly to the location.

A little more digging had landed Stephen the alias used by Mello in his hotel room, and Stephen had worked to book a room directly adjacent to the boys'.

For the past few days, Stephen had set up his small espionage empire in the room, installing several of his beloved subjects in Mello and Matt's residence while the two were out game-shopping and mingling with the Tokyo underworld. His time since then had been largely filled with detached observation, though he'd developed a healthy dislike of Mello's personality and found that he had a strange craving for both chocolate and video games by the second day-- habits he'd never before been inclined toward.

Humming a song from Silent Hill 4 the microphones had relayed to him earlier in the day, Stephen took another bite of his cooled dinner-- provided by room service some hour and a half before-- and a sip of cold tea, reminding himself to order something fresh before setting the drink aside and immediately forgetting again. Finally pulling his gaze from the young geniuses, the reconnaissance expert called up an email program and sent off a report to one of Near's accounts.

He received a response within minutes. The message was simple: a list of the flights from Japan to L.A. the next day, along with instructions for Stephen to pick up his reserved ticket from whichever plane Mello chose and an order to keep close watch on both subjects.

Having expected as much, Stephen sent off a quick confirmation and closed the program to bring up his cameras once more. Matt had moved to the television, and after zooming the camera in on the boy and screen, Stephen sighed. "GTA again? I never thought I'd feel nostalgic for Zelda..." he muttered.

Shaking his head, the agent settled in for another long night.

* * *

**A/N:**

Michal Phelps was gotten from a name generator on seventhsanctum (dot) com. I hate that ffnet strips website names! I always have to come up with dumb ways to write them. I found that site by way of Nilahxapiel, and it's incredibly useful! With Cat-Like Tread is from Pirates of Penzance. I've wanted to use this as a chapter-title since I started TYA... can't explain why, really, but it amuses me, so hey! Figured this'd be my last chance to use that for Mello, because some serious happenings are coming up in the next few chapters (few is a relative term!) and while irony is fun, naming some of the stuff I have planned something this tongue-in-cheek might be too much. Vague enough for you? Yay! Also, the situation of the song suits this chapter perfectly.

Learning from my mistakes of the last chapter, which was full of Epic Fail, I didn't make this ridiculously long and kept it to its purpose. I'll try my hardest to get the next chapter out in a reasonable period of time...!

Review responses:

Skyhe: Thanks! It's nice to write Light coming out of denial-- he's so stubborn!

Impervious Marr: Thank you for reviewing both chapters! That was lovely. Matsuda will forever be the odd one out, and I like that you mentioned Near's apparent apathy both scaring and amusing you. Fun combination! Omg, I actually remembered who Nu is off the top of my head when you mentioned her-- "Oh, that's the eyeball-tentacle Shinigami, right?" and double-checked, and it was. Thanks so much for the fav author thing! That makes me incredibly happy and flattered, and the fact that you liked the last chapter...! Thank you so much. -throws yet more love-!

recipe for insanity: Matt and Mello have made a return! I'm glad you were curious about what they've been up to, too, and thank you for your words! I've been trying to give people their own proper personalities and make them alive. I tried to resist making a crack at L's hair-cleaning habits since it really is a cliche for us all now, but I couldn't resist...!

BregoArodShadowfax: I'm trying to keep a balance between serious plot, character development and some humor. It's... interesting! I love the last song as well. Thanks for the review!

Japanimaniac13: And now you're mentioned again! Hello.

xXxMeltedHersheyBarxXx: Thank you very much for the review! Nice to see you. Read you. Whatever.

Shadowsole: With how dark L's eyes are, colored lenses might not work well...! It can be hard to find ones that show up. Hair dye is something I should have them do-- I mean, Light's brown hair can't be natural-- but I couldn't bring myself to ruin their hair...

Pluto: I have a scene planned for Mello talking more about his thoughts on L, but haven't gotten to it yet! It didn't work with this one in the end, so I'm wondering if it'll show up the next time Matt and Mello do. Thank you especially for responding twice...! I'm a little-- well, dissatisfied with the last chapter, so it really makes me happier that you liked the shower scene enough to give it special mention.

Believe Bridesmaid: Your review amused me enough to read part of it to my roommate-- the "So no pressure!" part especially made me grin. I actually really appreciate having "loyal readers" (which is a hard phrase for me to really wrap my mind around...!) who point out the bits I miss, being able to improve my story is wonderful. I'm glad you felt for L last chapter, though! He's having a rough time right now. He'll be a little happier soon, and it will be Light in pain. This is me with a happily sadistic grin. Also-- very good point with L and disguises-- he might be able to hide a bit easier because he's more of a mix of races, whereas logically Light should look a hell of a lot more Japanese than he does, and has that whole "I am God" aura about him. Hmm...

seasnake.756: I actually expected L and Light to both react more extremely last chapter, but they ended up sort of getting along. It surprised me while writing it...!

SoraXNamine: Thanks! I've been torturing L a lot in this fic, I think...

Amorpheous: Late reviews are no problem, thanks for responding at all! Sayu's message got to Light more than most things would. He can't wrap his mind around his little sister not worshipping him, at the moment.

xgothic-rosex: Ah! Fangirl giggling made me grin, it really did, thanks! I'm glad you liked the bathroom scene.


	11. Storm Coming

Chapter Title: Storm Coming

Disclaimer: Death Note isn't mine. If it were... this is pretty much what would have happened, actually.

Rating: R

Pairing: Kira/L

Comments: I'm sorry this took so long again!! Honestly, this time it just seemed like Life swallowed all of my free time into a black hole somewhere. I ended up writing a good chunk of this long-hand in a park when I hadn't gotten a chance to write for a week or so. I'm working on a few other mental projects, but TYA's still close to my heart, so I'm giving it priority.

I got another fanart!  
kaith-sith. deviantart .com/art/The-game-of-life-and-death-91070063

Thanks, Sabakulotus (on AFF)! FFnet strips links, so there's a space there before and after deviantart that needs to go for it to work...! Sorry.

Note: Much love and thanks to Gloria B. for being my sounding board on this chapter! I was having issues with the ordering of parts, so she gave me some wonderful suggestions, including the idea of using the time zones as breaks for the chapter since it otherwise becomes messy. Most of the chapter takes place in one day, though it does skip around just a bit to keep it interesting.

* * *

24 November, 8:54 p.m. (Tokyo)

Matsuda sighed, leaning back from his empty plate and bowl and radiating contentment. "Sachiko-chan is a genius," he praised sleepily. "I've never eaten this good in my _life_."

"Don't call her that," Soichirou and Aizawa corrected brusquely. The apparent telepathy caused the two to glance at each other with brief, taut smiles.

With the food insulating him from their criticism, Matsuda merely looked sheepish.

"You've got to admit, though... she's a miracle-worker. I know i_I'm_/i thinking better. It feels just like having my mother around, only... we're in a big hotel, and investigating a murder case." Matsuda furrowed his brows, slightly lost at the words that had sounded much better in his mind.

"Sachiko is not your mother," Soichirou, no longer the Chief of police, corrected again. He was favoring Matsuda with the stern frown that always made Matsuda want to squirm in his chair like a child caught misbehaving.

"Dear, I don't mind," Sachiko dissented gently, coming into Headquarters again with Sayu at her heels to help clear away the dishes from the detectives' post-dinner snacking. Since her arrival, Sachiko had taken over the kitchen on the third floor, making sure that the detectives received three meals a day and that they never felt a twinge of hunger.

Matsuda himself had already gained four pounds.

"Do you need anything else?" Sachiko asked her husband fondly, coming up behind him and resting her hands on his shoulders. Relaxing into her touch, Soichirou covered one of her hands in his own and gave it a squeeze.

Aizawa, noticing Matsuda watching with a sappy expression, glared at his fellow detective and nodded at him to return to his work.

Sayu came over to collect the dishes near Mogi and Matsuda, pointedly ignoring Near where the boy sat on the floor amidst his toys.

Saddened at that, Matsuda looked over at the albino boy. "Maybe he needs something?" he suggested helpfully, not liking the tension between the two. Sayu had become a breath of life to the investigation, teasing the other detectives like they were part of her family and even getting a smile or two from her somber father with her playful antics. The pale-haired younger boy was the only weak spot in her friendly charm.

"He _needs_ a new personality," she muttered caustically.

"Sayu..." Sachiko chided wearily. Since meeting Near, Sayu had been unable to get along with the boy.

At one point, she'd even tried to attack Near again. Listening in to the investigation, Sayu had asked about how Light and L had escaped in the first place. Near had pointed out that that information wasn't something she needed to know, and that going over parts of the investigation they'd already finished was only a waste of time, especially given that he didn't believe Sayu would have anything of use to add.

When Rester had stepped between them, the girl had snatched up one of Near's Lego-men and rebounded it from the boy's head. That particular incident had ended with her banned from Headquarters for the rest of the night with her father advising her to think about if she felt she could at least manage to not be openly in the way of the investigation if she couldn't find something useful to do.

On reflection, Matsuda realized that Sayu's determined cheerfulness had shown up again the morning after that, as though the girl had decided that her usefulness to the investigation team could be trying to let them relax a little. Matsuda himself did that often-- though on accident, just by being the source of uncountable embarrassing comments or monumental clumsiness. He could still feel the crushing humiliation of the time he'd tripped and spilled Chief Yagami's coffee on him when he'd tried to fill the man's cup...

Conversation had moved on around Matsuda while he reminisced, and Sayu had stacked the dishes she'd collected by Matsuda's keyboard to peer over his shoulder at the information the investigation had compiled on MisaMisa's possible whereabouts.

Brushing her hair back behind her ear, Sayu seemed nostalgic. Matsuda had a disturbing moment where he realized that when she was older, the Yagami girl had a chance at the popularity and beauty of her brother. Her energy was different from Light's cool perfection, but there was still a distinct charisma to the girl. Nervous that Soichirou might be able to guess at Matsuda's less-than-professional thoughts, the detective snuck a look at the ex-Chief, but Soichirou was still speaking quietly with his wife.

"...Niichan must really miss Misa-chan," Sayu mused to herself. "I mean, he went to all that trouble to save her, but you guys still think they're not together yet. Did you know he brought her home to meet us when dad was at work? When they went up the stairs we could see right up her skirt--"

"Sayu!" Sachiko interrupted, scandalized by her free-thinking daughter. Sayu gave her an impish smile.

"...Light-Kira was not motivated by emotions," Near droned. Not looking at Sayu, he sat in the middle of his fortress of toys and idly threw darts at a board across the room as he twirled his hair with his free hand.

Pausing a beat, the room watched as yet another dart missed horribly, rebounding from the wall and skittering across the floor.

"You're... really bad at that," Sayu observed, obviously working to not laugh.

The albino boy actually spared her a flat glance before holding out his hand for Rester to give him another dart. He immediately let it fly again, with similar results. Sayu's will eroded, but her laughter was cut short by Near's next words. "Your brother saved Misa to keep her powers as Kira active, and, I assume, to use her as a decoy in case he could break free. Part of our attention will always be absorbed with finding her while she's free, and she's kept the world from returning to how it was before Light started his killing spree. But--" Near threw another dart, and this one briefly hit the edge of the board before dropping down. Undeterred, he continued. "Light wasn't interested in Misa."

Sayu stepped away from Matsuda's chair with the air of someone indulging a child who's making up a story. "So why was he dating her, then?"

"Convenience." Another dart missed. "...I have not yet determined, however, why he was having intercourse with L."

The dishes Sachiko had been holding smashed into pieces on the floor as the woman gaped at Near, unable to control her reaction. "_What_?"

Sayu's response was even more instinctive. A dark fire lit her eyes as she dove at Near. "You lying _brat_!"

Rester stepped calmly into Sayu's path, using the girl's momentum to toss her over his shoulder. He then stoically ignored her indignant shrieking and flailing.

Matsuda had jumped to his feet, sensing the other detectives doing the same. The scene froze, as no one knew quite what to do.

"Sayu..." With a deep, heavy sigh, Soichirou stood. He frowned when his words went unheard by his daughter. "Sayu! Calm down. Commander Rester, release my daughter. I promise, she will not harm Near."

"Um-- Chief, is that a good idea?" Matsuda interjected hesitantly, remembering the _last_ time Sayu had gotten her hands on Near. A look from Soichirou silenced him, and he wilted at the reproach in his superior's glance.

Rester ignored Matsuda, watching Soichirou in a considering way. He arched an eyebrow and then obeyed-- literally. The tall army veteran moved his hand from where it had been supporting Sayu's sack-like position on his shoulder.

Sayu's next kick ended in a yelp of fear as the girl fell sideways from Rester's shoulder. She landed hard on her behind with a clacking of teeth and curled slowly up, shaking in a fight against angry tears, pain and embarrassment.

"Matsuda-- put your gun away," Aizawa snapped.

Blinking in surprise, Matsuda realized he'd pulled his firearm without thinking. Not even sure what he'd been intending to shoot, Matsuda blushed and holstered his weapon.

Luckily, the fall seemed to have hurt Sayu's pride more than her body, and the girl pulled herself stubbornly to her feet after a minute with only a wince to show for it.

"Sayu. That was no way to act in public," Soichirou chided, stiff with shame and what Matsuda thought might be a shade of sympathy. "Apologize to Commander--"

"He was lying, wasn't he?" Sayu demanded, interrupting her father and giving him a pleading look. "Why aren't you defending Light? Niichan wasn't ashamed of himself, he'd have told us if he liked boys..."

"_That's_ what's bothering her?" Ide muttered at Matsuda's side, too low for the others to hear.

"As he told us that he's Kira?" Soichirou pointed out gruffly.

That seemed to hurt more than Sayu's fall had. Eyes widening, the girl clenched her hands into fists as her eyes shone with tears she stubbornly fought. "That was mean. You didn't have to say that..." Shaking her head, she turned and hurried from the room.

The room fell into awkward, painful silence as the detectives watched the door or their computer screens, not wanting to intrude on the family scene.

A click and clatter sounded as Near threw another dart at the board and it hit the floor instead. His hand hung in the air a moment before he rested his chin on his drawn-up knee, finger twirling furiously in his hair.

LxLxL

24 November, 1:12 p.m. (Madrid)

_I keep forgetting how difficult writing for so long is..._ Light thought ruefully, rolling one shoulder. Setting his pen down, he leaned back in a leisurely stretch and gave a sigh of satisfaction.

Over the past several days, Kira had made his presence felt again. One hundred and fifty criminals that had slipped under Misa's radar had now been accounted for, and he had even managed another brief broadcast earlier in the day, working to put a stop to the world's intermittent Kira Riots.

Overall, a very productive week.

Closing the Death Note's carefully-taped cover, the genius mass-murderer glanced across the room to his living companion, ignoring Ryuk from long-habit.

More listless than Light could remember seeing him, the detective was staring with blank eyes at the empty chessboard in front of him, hunched in a chair near the floor-to-ceiling windows. No sweets lined the surfaces around him, and to the best of Light's knowledge the man hadn't had a thing to eat since he'd accepted that interfering with Kira might cause Light's death. When Kira had returned to his judging the next day, L had cast him a flat look that was lined with self-doubt and pain, and had then apparently retreated into his own mind for an escape.

He'd been playing chess against himself for a day solid, now. Occasionally, he would give some small twitch of his hand or tilt of his head that would let Light know if L had won or lost in his imaginary games.

It had quickly gone from amusing to pathetic, and was now approaching incredibly disturbing. Even Ryuk's laughter was dampened, and the shinigami's enjoyment of his non-life was often interrupted by watching L with morbid fascination.

Letting his gaze travel beyond the depressed detective, Kira considered the weather in the afternoon sunlight. The two were still in their room at the Hotel Atlantico, as L had lacked the energy to usher them to another flight and Light was enjoying staying still for once.

Making a decision as he studied the crisp Fall day, Light pulled himself gracefully to his feet and paced over to L. The other man appeared not to notice, lifting an invisible piece and sliding it across the board.

Calmly, Light watched. After a few minutes of this, he reached out and delicately took hold of a spot of air from one of the black squares and took one of L's pieces. "Check."

L blinked. Slowly, awareness returned to his black eyes, and he studied the board. His lower lip began to pout out, and his blood-shot and dark-ringed eyes dragged reluctantly to Kira's face. "I had not known that Light-kun was paying attention to my game. It started too long ago for him to have so quickly memorized the positions of the pieces..."

Light smiled wanly down at him. "When killing criminals is as difficult as writing down a name in a notebook, L, it isn't hard to multi-task." L winced slightly, eyes returning to the board as he attempted to find a way out of the check. "...It's been days since you've eaten," Light reminded, feeling a spot of something like concern that was quickly denied. "It is ironic, however, that your version of depression is to eat fewer sweets and no junk food. I believe with most people, it's the opposite."

"Light-kun would be wrong, then," L responded despondently. "Many people suffer a loss of appetite in response to depression." Lifting his good hand, he began to gnaw on his thumb.

Unthinking, Kira grabbed L's wrist and pulled it aside, making L's teeth snap together with an audible click. L looked up again dully.

Light crossed his arms on his chest in displeasure. He hated doing things without planning. Looking casually aside, he spoke to L. "I'm going outside. It's a pleasant day, and I haven't been out in too long. You should come along-- though how you look now, you might terrify anyone looking at you..." he added with wry mockery and a slight smile.

"...I will stay inside," L decided, eyes once again on the board. Lifting his hand as though he were forcing it through deep water, the older man moved another piece. "Check."

Having expected that, Light casually made his own move. "Checkmate. Really, L, that was just sad. If you're going to be like this you'll be of no use at all." Shaking his head in irritation, the young genius went to one of L's stockpiles of candy, neglected for days, and pulled on a jacket before stuffing several of the treats into his pockets. Putting on his latest disguise and grabbing sunglasses for L, he returned to the other man's side. "You're coming with me. That's no longer a request-- your mental capacity is degenerating. Maybe a little fresh air will get your common sense functioning again." Reaching out, he tugged at L's arm.

The detective refused to stare at him, but his pout gained definition, jaw setting stubbornly. Rolling his eyes, Kira reached to drag him.

Sliding down in his chair in one quick move and holding himself steady on the table one-handed, L turned and snapped his leg up simultaneously. His heel caught Kira in the jaw.

Completely off-guard, the murderer fell to the floor, laying stunned for a moment before groaning in pain and gingerly touching the injury.

With great caution and reluctance, L stood, staring expressionlessly down at Light before shuffling for the door with his hands buried deep in his pockets. "I'm not a child," he stated flatly. "Light-kun might want to think again before treating me as such."

Sitting up and swallowing the blood in his mouth, Kira choked his rage down and took a calming breath, resisting the urge to dive across the room and get his vengeance.

L was still handicapped, and the fight would lack a certain satisfaction.

LxLxL

25 November, 2:03 a.m. (Tokyo)

Sayu didn't leave her room at Headquarters until two in the morning, when the others had all gone home or to their own rooms.

Dressed in cotton-candy colored pajama pants and a Monchichi top, Kira's younger sister took to the hallways aimlessly.

The giant building with its endless identical halls and rooms without guests might have been frightening, but Sayu found the emptiness soothing. Without her family or the detectives around, there was no need to put up the pretense of being fine. Arms crossed on her chest and thoughts numb from stress and worry for her brother, she let her feet move her at random.

Some time later, she came out of her thoughts in front of a familiar door. Hesitating only a moment, she stepped onto the sensor pad hidden in the floor, and the Headquarter doors hushed open.

The room appeared empty at first glance, screens dark for once and disconcerting without her father and the detectives in front of them.

A pale glimpse caught her eye, and Sayu started in surprise when she finally noticed Near.

The young genius lay sprawled on his stomach in his city of toys, a tiny clay figure still clutched by one hand. His face was turned away from her, but his pose was too relaxed for consciousness.

Only when Sayu was certain the boy was really asleep did she venture closer.

Fascinated in spite of herself, Sayu knelt beside the boy at the edge of his Lego city and tilted her head to watch him. Sleep made the albino appear even younger, wisps of white hair falling into his heart-shaped face.

Unable to stop a smile, Sayu rested her chin on her hand. "You really are just an annoying kid, aren't you?" she whispered. "Some genius you are, falling asleep on your toys..."

Her eyes strayed to the figurine once more, and she strained to recognize it. Similar sculptures representing the others working on the case, as well as her brother, Misa and L were grouped around as though Near had been playing with them before he fell asleep. Some were clever approximations, and Sayu couldn't help a laugh at the make-up on Misa's sculpture and the vacant smile on Matsuda's. Light's looked evil, and L's was vaguely creepy. There was even a figurine with a blond bowl-cut that Sayu supposed might be the "Mello" she'd heard Aizawa talking about.

She was reaching for Near's hand to slip the figurine free when the doors opened behind her. Heart in her throat with the guilty feeling she'd been caught doing something wrong, Sayu spun around.

Rester stood in the doorway, a glass of warm milk in his hand. With a flat, suspicious look, he headed over to his superior and gazed thoughtfully down at Near.

Without a word of explanation, the army veteran thrust the glass of milk at Sayu. Taking it in bewilderment, she opened her mouth to ask why he'd handed the glass to her when Rester gave her a look to silence her. Kneeling, the large man reached beneath Near and, with surprising care, lifted the unconscious boy into his arms.

Stirring, Near drew the figurine closer to his chest and made a sleep-sound. "Dad...?" he mumbled in English.

Sayu's heart constricted painfully at the word, and Rester went still, gazing at Near with his expression clearly stating he had no idea what to do. His awkward silence woke Near farther, and the pale boy rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand before peering up at Rester. "...Oh, Commander Rester. I fell asleep," he said, either as a question or observation. Sayu's English wasn't as good as Light's-- in fact, English was yet another class in which Sayu had scraped by with the Light's assistance due to her lazy studying skills-- but the sense of the words was easy enough to grasp. "Is the milk..."

Rester looked to Sayu, and Near followed his gaze. The boy stared at Sayu for a moment with his expression, as always, totally unreadable. Wordlessly, he held his free hand out, and Sayu handed him the milk with a strong sense of shame, embarrassed to be there.

Rather than telling Rester to put him down, Near tucked himself closer with the milk in one hand and the toy in the other, obviously willing to be carried. "I suppose that's enough work for tonight," he offered flatly, speaking in Japanese again. Seeming to take this as an order, Rester nodded and headed to the door.

With a slight frown, Sayu watched after them before looking to Near's clay figurines again. Her family was there, Mello, the detectives... even Rester, a dark-haired man she hadn't seen and Watari. That she knew of, the only figure missing... was hers.

LxLxL

24 November, 1:40 p.m. (Madrid)

The walk to the park was crisp, bordering on cold. After nearly half an hour's exertion Light directed L beneath the gates and into the Real Jardín Botánico-- with L, of course, paying to get them inside. Exercise had lifted Light's spirits in spite of how out-of-shape he'd become from months inside during the investigation and subsequent hiding. Coat on one arm, the murderer breathed deeply as he led them down well-tended paths in the botanical garden, taking in the sights as Ryuk hovered along behind them and laughed.

At the current moment, his laughter was directed at L. The detective had grown completely unaccustomed to physical labor, and several days without nourishment hadn't helped him. Barely-laced sneakers were also not the most comfortable thing to wear on a long walk. When Light finally took pity on the red-faced, out-of-breath and under-weight detective and found them a stone bench overhung by branches in a quiet area of the garden, L nearly collapsed into his usual crouch, arms hanging over his knees in exhaustion and white shirt transparent with sweat.

Settling onto the same bench after carefully brushing the dirt from it and then dusting his hands against each other with a distinct look of discomfort, Light observed their surroundings keenly while L caught his breath.

In the far distance, a woman played with her child, laughing as the youngling pulled her along the paths of the garden, trying to pronounce the well-marked names of the multitude of plants there.

Light's eyes were drawn to the scene, and his mind went to his own childhood.

"...Light-kun is smiling," L observed, his usual monotone strained by his gasping breath. It seemed that Light was more interesting to him than the garden. "Was he thinking that the child is safer with fewer murderers...?"

"Hmm-- no, though that is a nice thought," Light responded. He gave a slight shake of his head. "I would take Sayu to the park sometimes. We both walked to school, and it was my duty as her older brother to make sure she made it home safely after prep school. It was never stressful to be around her... she's nowhere near our intelligence, of course, but... somehow from her, the adoration and the idol-worship was tolerable, and didn't make me think of her as a useless human being. It may have been because she's family," he mused, unexpectedly nostalgic.

"And with MisaMisa...?" L prompted.

L's inquiry was met with an offended glare. "Don't compare Sayu to Misa," he ordered curtly. "They're nothing alike. Misa's obsession is brainless and irritating. Sayu's... she's a good person, L. There isn't anything mean in her, unless she's defending her family. She's pure."

L made a dismissive sound, and Ryuk snickered. "Looks like the sibling-complex cuts both ways, huh, Light?" he commented, shaking with amusement as he floated nearby. "I always knew she was weirdly interested in you, but I'm amazed you have those emotions too..."

Both men pretended not to hear the shinigami. "Amane's obsession stems from the fact that Kira avenged her family," L pointed out blandly, gaze more focused than it had been for days and mind as sharp as ever. "She's supported Light-kun to the point of halving her own life-span. Twice."

Light dismissed Misa's sacrifices with a shrug. "She's made herself occasionally useful in the creation of my kingdom, but it doesn't change the fact that she's a criminal. She's killed others, and her intentions don't matter to that. When I'm in control, Misa will be gotten rid of as soon as I can find a way to get around Rem."

There was silence for a moment. Then: "So, to Kira-kun, he expects people to follow him in support of the fact that he kills those who murder others. Yet, if someone else takes that a step farther and attempts to help Kira by his own rules, killing murderers, then you would judge that person as evil and kill them?"

Kira accepted the words with a smile. "I realize that's hypocritical, L, but we've been through this. I know that I'm doing evil, but this is for the good of the world. I have a very clear plan, and the intelligence to discern what would be best for everyone. Murder is evil, whatever the intentions."

"...Except for you, or the police."

"Not how you mean it. I've agreed that my own actions are evil. I'm creating a better world, but if there's death lining the pathway, I'll take full responsibility for it. I will be the only murderer in my kingdom, the only bringer of death. And I still believe that if you had my power, you'd be led to follow the same path."

There was silence again, while in the distance children laughed and played and couples strolled in the cool air, enjoying the November day. The sound of sirens was becoming an unfamiliar thing, and the city felt safer, in spite of the omnipresent threat of Kira.

After a long enough pause that Light assumed L was done speaking, the detective shifted slightly. Stifling his own word before they could start, Light waited.

"...Light-kun is wrong," L responded finally, tone almost absent. His thumb rested lightly against his pale lips, and his eyes stared at nothing. "I have Kira's power. I can influence governments, I have the mental capacity of several intelligence agencies. If I wanted to, I could have insured that criminals who had gotten outside of the system or around justice were dealt with. In my position and with my anonymity and the trust of other countries, I could easily have become a serial killer unlike any the world has known. It may not be as easy as writing a name in a notebook, but it would not be beyond my capabilities. Yet, instead, I work to keep criminals off of the streets, and though I've leaned toward the death penalty on several occasions, I believe in allowing some criminals to live, and even to escape, if the justice system fails. I watch those mistakes carefully, and evidence is never missed a second time... the justice systems of the world are all faulty, but still necessary for free will."

"That sort of 'free will' is dangerous," Light replied with a frown. "You have to realize that. It would be safer for everyone... most people can't make that sort of decision on their own, the option of allowing criminals to live or not. It's too dark, and the idea of it is too big for them. My way, the people can condemn me in public, but feel relieved in secret that someone is taking care of things. That's how people are."

"...Again, I disagree." L turned his gaze once more to Kira. "I have more reason than most to empathize with your reasoning, but I believe that you are still wrong." He seemed about to speak, then tightened his lips and looked away.

"...More reason than most?" Light prodded, gaze sharp. "What are you referring to...? Your intelligence?"

"..." Incredibly reluctant, L shifted again, fingers on his good hand clenching on his knee. "...Yagami-kun was correct in his inference that my parents are no longer living. They died in... an incident, years ago. It was only coincidence that they were killed, but the incident was planned, and killed many others as well. My first case was to capture those responsible. I succeeded." Speaking without emotion, L chewed furiously on his thumb. "...Until your arrival, the perpetrators remained alive, in prison. Kira killed them."

This admission set Ryuk off another round of laughter as Light watched L in surprise, for once caught not knowing what to say. "...Then, you should understand--" he began after an uncomfortable pause.

L shook his head and interrupted. "I can see the reasoning, and vengeance is tempting... Still, I realized that their deaths would mean nothing in the end. My parents and the others would remain dead, and more blood would be on my own hands. Rather than feeling grateful to Kira-kun for taking care of their murders for me, I admit to being... irritated."

Light eyed L skeptically. "Irritated."

"Even before Watari found me a replacement for the laptop which had become broken when I received the news, however, I had come to the conclusion that the irritation was uncalled for. Light-kun did not steal their deaths from me or the victims, as I had every intention of leaving the men in prison for the rest of their lives. The fact that Kira-kun passed a judgment on them when he himself had not done the work of capturing them was also irrelevant, as no other Kira-murders had offended me so personally at that time. Even now, however, looking at the situation logically... I find that I can not forgive Kira-kun for denying me the right to choose what punishment to give those killers. Childish, but I can't seem to get around it..."

"...What did the others say?"

L turned his eyes once more to Light, silently seeking clarification without any actual expression or question.

Light obliged with a frown of annoyance. "The relatives, loved ones, everyone the other people who died in that 'incident' knew-- did they have a say in what should happen to the murderers? Or did you simply pass your own judgment and decide that you had known best what to do? ...L. You have to see that. You've been doing exactly as I have-- you passed a judgment, believing yourself to be the one who knew best, who was the most intelligent and suited to determine what the fate of those men's lives should be. You're angry with me because you've convinced yourself that leaving those murderers alive to feed off of the resources of the government and be a burden to the public, and in danger of being possibly released on parole back into society, was somehow morally _better_ than ending them quickly and removing their threat and their taint completely. You didn't give a damn what the others wanted. You're still angry _now_ because I didn't go along with your decision, but came to another conclusion about what would be best for the world. I'm sure it must be difficult for you, as you've appointed yourself to be the defender of the world, but try to realize that you might not actually be the only one the world can depend on, and that just possibly, you aren't the most amazing person on Earth."

"Because you believe that you should be in that position?"

"Because-- much as I feel sick for admitting this-- we have... similarities, L. We both feel it our responsibility to make the world a safer, better place, and that if we aren't using our intelligence in that capacity we're being worse than useless. We could have been anything else, but we both have a drive to see justice done, and to take on the cases that no one _but_ us could ever understand, to solve them and prove why we exist. For you, being the greatest detective in the world is how you define yourself, and you feel lost without that, depressed and wondering what to do with yourself now that you're supporting me. To me, reforming the world has become my priority. I don't want people to need to choose between being good people and wanting to see justice served and murderers taken care of properly. Even if it makes me evil, I'm doing what has to be done to save the world, as you continue to take on cases in spite of them leaving you hunched and unable to sleep."

"..." L stared off into the distance, then raised his eyes to the leaves and the sky above them as he considered that. Finally, he pulled himself to his feet and started back the way they had come, apparently having had enough of the outdoors. "...There is a bakery in the area, is there not?" he asked hopefully.

Allowing himself a small smile, Light caught up to L and held out a lollipop from his pocket. L's black eyes fixated on the treat, then dragged up to Light's face. After a moment where the two stood still and L attempted to read Light's intentions, the detective carefully accepted the sweet and unwrapped it.

Lollipop lodged firmly in the side of his mouth, L shoved his hands back into his pockets and lurched onward, not commenting on Kira's unusually understanding gesture. "...We missed the flight," he said instead, words slightly slurred by the candy.

"That's all right. I booked another-- we're leaving tomorrow," Light informed him easily. "Since you'd neglected to tell me what your plans had been before you sulked in the corner for three days."

"...I do not treat death as lightly as Kira-kun," L murmured.

"Hmm... in your defense, you haven't killed as many people."

Ryuk threw his head back and shook with high humor at that, trailing behind them. "...Hey, Light. You got any apples in your pockets?" he asked, hope thick in his voice. "I've known you longer than L has."

Glancing back mildly at the shinigami, Light arched an eyebrow. "You've had more apples than you need, and you don't even have to eat. No, I didn't bring an apple for you."

"Kira-kun was concerned for me," L mused. "Should I be flattered?"

"Don't bother. If you collapse from hunger, I'd have to drag you to the plane, and it would raise attention," Kira dismissed.

A faint smile curled the corners of L's mouth as they returned to the hotel.

LxLxL

25 November, 2:31 a.m. (Tokyo)

Sayu left Headquarters shortly after Rester and Near, turning back toward the elevators to go to her room. Partway down the hall, however, she stopped by a door that had always been locked. It was open now, enough to show several inches of the room beyond.

Cautious, Sayu gave the door a gentle push. Inside, a wall of monitors took up one wall, showing infrared images of the hallways and rooms. In one screen she could see a bulky human mass she assumed to be Rester holding a cooler figure that must be Near. _Even his body lets off less heat..._, Sayu thought in some amazement about the cold boy.

There was a polite throat-clearing, and Sayu finally noticed Watari sitting in one of the room's comfortable-seeming chairs, a fresh tray of tea beside him and two cups.

"Would you care for tea, young miss?" he inquired.

Glancing out into the hallway, Sayu hesitated for a moment before going inside and closing the door. Looking to the screens again, Sayu frowned. "...Aren't you worried about Light getting into the camera system?" she asked quietly. Though she didn't personally believe that her brother would try to kill all of them, she knew also that Near was a very paranoid person.

Watari turned his eyes to the screens as though just noticing them. "Ah, yes. Near requested that I disable the normal security cameras, but the thermal imaging is still quite useful in the even of an intruder happening past our security measures. Sugar?"

"Two cubes, thank you..." Sayu murmured. Claiming a chair not far from Watari but against one wall, Sayu drew her legs up to her chest and accepted the tea. "You left the door open, even though you could see me coming... So, you wanted to talk?" she hazarded.

"Exactly so." Kind, intelligent eyes studied Sayu intently, and she thought the old man seemed almost sad. "...Do you know, L has sat just as you are now since he was a child..."

Curiosity warred with the politeness Sayu's parents had instilled in her, but finally won. "What's he like? Matsu-chan and Aizawa-san talk about him like he's just like Near, but..."

Watari chuckled. "But it's difficult to imagine anyone else like Near?" he offered. "There is some superficial resemblance, but L and Near are very much their own selves," he clarified.

"Have you known L long?"

"Since he was eight years old," Watari agreed readily, affection and pride softening his features. "He's always been a genius among geniuses. Even at that age, it was quite obvious."

Sayu brightened, holding her tea in both hands to keep them warm. "Niichan is the same way. He's always been smart. I guess it spoiled me-- I'm stupid, so he always helps me out."

"I haven't observed you to be stupid," Watari corrected reasonably. "Perhaps not at their level..."

"You're just being polite," Sayu stated with a smile. "It doesn't bother me-- it's okay. I'm just average, but compared to my brother I'm slow, really dumb. So's almost everyone else, though. It's what makes him stand out so much... or part of it. It doesn't help that he's perfect in every way, handsome, and charming," she laughed. "If I didn't love him I might hate him. A brother isn't supposed to be better-looking than his sister!" She sighed dramatically and shook her head, happy and forgetting for a moment that her admired older brother was also the infamous Kira.

Watari sipped his tea in peace for a moment before Sayu, feeling a compulsion that many girls did, broke the silence. "...What did you want to talk about?"

"...I would like your thoughts on your brother, actually," Watari informed her.

The words broke Sayu's sense of unexpected comfort. "Why? ...Would you use it to find him?" In spite of her efforts, her words were uncertain and almost afraid-- cheering up the detectives was one thing, but working actively with them against her brother was another. Even if his actions were evil, she couldn't quite accept it.

"I would like to... understand him," admitted the old man. Setting his tea down, he looked at the camera displays through his thick, white eyebrows, and the glow off the monitors made his age even more obvious. "I've looked at all of the available data on Light's life, yet feel that I'm not much closer to understanding his motives. He is a... complicated young man."

"..." Sayu turned the tea cup in her hands, gazing into liquid that appeared black by the room's dark lighting. Realizing that no one else had asked her anything at all about Light or even tried to see him as a human, Sayu struggled with words to explain him. "He never thought anyone understood him. Mom just believes everything she wants about him, and dad tries to get him, but... Niichan's so much smarter than them. He told me when I was little that I couldn't tell them everything he told me, because they'd get worried about him. He told me I had to do the same thing for myself and keep them from being unhappy. Most people really just annoyed him, but he always acted nice to them anyway. Everyone always loved him, except for some of the other boys, but they were just jealous of him. But... even though I wasn't as smart as he is, he'd always make time for me. He always helped me with homework, even if he knew I understood it and just wanted to be around him. He'd take me to the park, and make sure I remembered everything for school and made me do my homework even if I'd told mom and dad I didn't have any. Dad was always at work, so he never really noticed anything, and mom's nice, but... she's still a parent. She likes to believe that we're perfect. Light's the good student, and makes dad proud, and mom happy. I'm dad's little girl, and I help mom with the chores and watch TV dramas with her. But with Light... we could be ourselves. He teased me and could be mean, but it was all right, because he didn't let anyone else see that about him. And I loved him more than anyone else..." Almost as though hypnotized by her own voice in the room, silent aside from the electronic hum of the monitors, Sayu didn't realize what she'd said until her words stopped. Tears rose to her eyes again, and the girl took a quick drink of tea to ease the sudden pain in her throat and to push the tears back, refusing to cry in front of Watari. She shook her head forcefully. "I'm sorry-- I was talking too much. I do that sometimes..."

Too polite to comment on Sayu's distress, Watari nodded. "I believe that's exactly what I needed to hear," he informed her quietly. He accepted Sayu's empty cup as the girl stood. "Thank you, and have a pleasant night's dreams."

"You, too," Sayu murmured, hugging herself. "Good night. I'm sorry... about L, I mean. You miss him, right?"

"...Yes, I do," Watari agreed simply. Sayu nodded, then let herself out to return to her room.

LxLxL

25 November, 2:45 a.m.

Left alone, Watari returned to the central monitor, which was also his main computer screen. He called up an email that he'd minimized upon Sayu's arrival.

The world at large still didn't know of L and Watari going separate ways. Minutes before, Watari had received a message on L's behalf from a government agent in Spain. The message warned that L and Light had been recognized on surveillance footage entering the airport in Madrid on a flight from Vladivostok, and that measures were being taken to catch them on their attempt to return to the airport. A man who had worked with L before, the agent hoped the information would arrive in time to prevent disaster.

The descriptions given for L and Light fit the men reasonably if allowances were made for simple disguises, and that agent was known to be both intelligent and trustworthy.

Watari had every reason to believe that this hint, rather than the thousands of false leads the detectives had been pursuing, had a strong likelihood of being real.

Now, he only had to decide what to _do_ with the information.

* * *

**A/N:**

Storm Coming is by Gnarls Barkley. For some reason, I wrote this chapter mostly by listening to country music... usually I write this with my generic playlist. Weird, huh?

The "instance" L mentioned in his past that killed his parents was one of the Winchester Mad Bombings, which were mentioned in roughly one line in Another Note in reference to a point when L met Watari, leading me to the assumption that something about the Bombings killed off whatever guardians L had and led to Watari discovering him, and from there the five years L mentioned being in England would have most likely been at the Wammy's House and/or hunting down the perps from the Mad Bombings. I mention this here as a simple explanation of that scene, since the chances of L going into detail that could lead Light to knowledge of Wammy's House or his parents' names are about one in a trillion. Also, L going along with Light after the garden doesn't mean he's fully supporting him now-- just that he's starting to come to terms with the fact that there is some common ground in their method to dealing with injustice and that the Death Note may not necessarily be the horrible root of all world evil. It's even possible that Near was just holding the Sayu-doll because he was thinking about her relationship with Kira and liked the visual reminder of her! Or not. Look right there, I'm giving you freedom of perception.

Comment responses: (Thanks everyone who replied! Made me very happy, and I was quite surprised by how many people responded.)

Shadowsole: Thanks! Wigs are what I usually picture for them.

Amorpheous: Thank you for continuing to read!! I look forward to seeing your name pop up and reading what you think, so it's quite appreciated. As for Mello putting a gun to Matt's head-- yeah, that might be a little surprising! Mello's still treating this as a game so far. Hello again!

BregoArodShadowfax: Thank you for the support...! I'll try to keep in mind that I'm possibly not as bad at writing as the paranoia occasionally tells me.

spiegalr: Ooh, you're hooked on Rain gum? I'm addicted to Orbitz. I go through a pack every two days or so at work... Thanks for the comment!

recipe for insanity: Thanks so much! I'll try not to keep away so long next time I get unhappy with myself. (Though considering I was fine this time and took me a month plus... bleh! I need to make myself write consistently again!) Believe me though, I want to see this finished too. I just have no idea what will happen...! I should probably work on that.

SoraXNamine: Everyone loves Matt! He has a cult, I think...

Japanimaniac13: You've only been lurking since chapter 8! That's not too bad. Still, welcome back! I wasn't trying to make Mello or Matt pissy, they're just... well... they have a strange way of playing around. I picture them always bickering, or Mello constantly trying to get under Matt's skin just because it's so hard to. Plus, Mello was hella bored, so he'll hopefully be better now that he's got a lead. DN Pirates of Penzance would kill! Very fun. I keep wanting to make a DN version of Jekyll and Hyde. In response to the question on tailing: they're geniuses, but they're also fifteen-ish, and in a way do still consider themselves indestructible. They'd have made sure no one followed them, but being tracked through purchases they've made is a little harder to guard against-- and Stephen's an expert in surveillance, so I'm guessing he'd know how to leave minimal clues for Mello and Matt to pick up. They're probably being cautious, but not absolutely paranoid. Obviously the moral of this story is that total and absolute paranoia is the much better course.

Believe Bridesmaid: Mello's a bitch, yup, and I usually get the feeling he's not the most stable person you could ever meet! So he's quite fun to write. Omg, Detecting Stalkers 101... mind if I put that in a story?? I'm sort of working on a prelude to this dealing with Mello and Matt. That'd be more of a wink-nudge I think, but it'd make me giggle, and that's really why I write, so! If Wammy's does have that course, they probably just had to leave the institution before they could take it. Very sad. Also, chocolate, candy and video games are all naturally addictive! Wammy's just needs to supply them with the means to the addictions. Pretty smart, really...!

xgothic-rosex: I'm glad I'm back on the site, too! Thanks.

Pluto: Misa might eventually meet up with them in person, but she won't run into them on accident-- I figure the world's big, so them both running to the same place is a little too much coincidence! Though still possible on the whole of things, if it happened it wouldn't be accidental.

Sexykill69: Thank you for linking that new DN chapter in your userprofile...! I hadn't known it existed, and was very happy to read it. Near older almost disturbingly sexy in his insanely gigantic Tarot Tower... Thank you so much for all of your replies as well! I'm still baffled why you'd want me to be your "sensei" type, but I'm afraid I need to do my own research-- many parts of the story wouldn't exist if I hadn't looked them up directly, since I'm a habitual clicker of new links, and they've led me to information and ideas I'd never considered before. For advice I'd say... always re-read things a few times to catch mistakes, and go with your gut, it's usually right-- but listen to advice and always keep your mind open. Also, don't be afraid to get rid of parts that don't work with the story, even if you like them. My biggest problem is editing, taking out extraneous stuff. I'm not so good at that. I'm glad you caught on that the titles are songs, and that you enjoyed the Matt and Mello! And this chapter should put your nervousness about ResterXNear to ease-- at least for this story, Rester doesn't have the hots for his tiny superior!

Star Jinin: Hello! Yes, they really do get into a lot of fights-- it's mostly due to too much stress and tension, and their clashing egos. I've been working on taming the fights a bit at least for now, 'til L is healed more. Aside from that: I'm glad you find him lovable here! I try. Annnnd in this situation, Light's security had already been compromised, so showing himself to the public was less of a risk and more of an attempt to continue securing his Kira fanbase and to find a way to control those who would listen. He was disregarding the risks that might come from governments full of people he assumes he and L could easily outsmart, looking instead at the benefits he could gain by informing the world that L was on his side.

Poefay: Thank you very much! Character quirks are my favorite thing in writing. That and weird plot things, but mostly just characters and how they interact, so your comment made me happy!


	12. Bullet and a Target

Chapter Title: Bullet and a Target

Disclaimer: Death Note isn't mine. If it were... this is pretty much what would have happened, actually.

Rating: R

Pairing: Kira/L

Comments: As a random thing, for anyone going to Portland's Kumori-con, I'll be going this year...! I should be there at some point most of Saturday and all Sunday. Most of my time will be spent in the Artist's Alley hanging out with my sister-in-law and my sister, who will probably have neon-orange hair, but possibly blonde. Either way, she's... well, you'll notice her. She's generally covered in strawberries. And their table will probably have at least one BJD, maybe more. I'll be the one with a long braid and glasses reading yaoi manga while sitting on the floor. (I will possibly have tentacle arms on.)

Sorry it's a short chapter! It's more of a teaser really...

* * *

An early rise the next morning got Light and L out of the Hotel Atlantico just before noon to catch their taxi to the airport.

As they traveled through the city with Ryuk flying behind, the two shared a thoughtful and companionable silence, ignoring the taxi driver's attempts at small-talk. The radio droned on to fill the quiet between them with reports on traffic in the city, what music had been played and what the local government was up to. It also, of course, included an updated account of the rash of criminals murdered the day before by Kira. Light's lips twitched as they attempted to repress a smile at L's blank expression taking on an edge of reproach and exasperation as he met Light's eyes in the reflection of the window.

They made it to the airport in under half an hour. Hauling their bags from the trunk and shouldering them, they fell into step, Light's graceful determination tailored to match L's quick shuffle. Being the uninjured of the two, Light had earned himself more bags to carry. In minutes, the two were through the entrance to Terminal 2 in MAD and heading to the counter to retrieve their tickets.

Neither paid attention to the security guard who had been posted near the doors until Ryuk, glancing behind them, hesitated. "Uh... hey, Light," he prompted.

Kira grimaced faintly. "Not now," he told the shinigami in an undertone, dismissing Ryuk's words as a preface to another plea for apples. L slowed, however, looking back at the monster with a thumb to his lips. Sighing in irritation, Light glanced at his human companion. "Well?"

Ryuk hovered in the air a moment, then swung his head back to Light. "I was just thinking, that guard was watching us..." He chuckled. "Maybe your luck is out?"

"I doubt it's anything like that--" Light's words were cut off as a small group of officers, all with hastily-pulled-on helmets to shield their faces from view, surrounded them with guns drawn. Ryuk floated up above one of the officers, surveyed the scene, and threw his head back in a hair-raising laugh of delight.

Two men in darker uniforms with distinct patches on the left shoulders stepped forward, visors covering their faces beneath their flak helmets. Both had rifles trained on Kira and L.

"We need you to come with us for questioning," one asserted in Spanish, though the situation would be clear enough without words. He repeated his statement in heavily accented English just in case.

Light and L stood still with their hands up, minds working on a way out of this situation, as the tourists and citizens in the airport either fled with shouts at the sight of the guns or crowded closer to see what their police force had dragged up.

Light's mind was just drawing a blank when the screech of metal and an implosion of glass came from the direction of the entrance.

A jeep had burst through the entrance doors. It swerved to a stop with a crunching of glass shards, and Aiber, hair dusted with more of the glass remains and teeth bared in a roguish grin, shouted a greeting to L. The police switched their guns instinctively to this new threat, ignoring the curses of the better-trained operatives in the darker uniforms.

Without any more prompting, L dropped his bag and took hold of Light's arm to race for the jeep, moving in an oddly loping way. Jerked along, Light gritted his teeth. "How do you know we can trust him?!" he snapped.

"If Light-kun has another plan, he may explain it later," L responded shortly.

Shots rang out suddenly as the citizens all scrambled to get out of the way. A line of bullet holes appeared in the side of the jeep and two of the windows exploded. One narrowly missed L's head-- and Light screamed, staggering in his run as a bullet passed through his leg.

With L's desperate help, he collapsed into the backseat around the bags, and L vaulted into the passenger side seat, closing the door as Aiber gunned the engine and tore out the way he'd come in.

* * *

**A/N:**

Is it wrong after this long to say that Light getting shot kind of makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside? I got tired of Light being on his high-horse and L forced into a depression over having a set of morals, and Light's weirdly fun to torture.

That said, I have to buckle down for more studying to get chapter 13 done. It should be considerably longer than this-- I just wanted to try a cliffhanger for once! Bullet and a Target is by Citizen Cope. Also, I still think "MAD" is about the coolest airport acronym ever. Go Madrid-Barajas airport!

Comment responses: (There were a lot of these! Made me happy, but this one's short enough I'll try to be more brief in replies so I don't take twice the space.)

Amorpheous: Yay! Long review. Sayu is a great char to me, it's sad she didn't get more time in the series-- I think it would be interesting. Heh, and it amused me that you pointed out Ide's mutter about what he thought Sayu was complaining about! Misconceptions are also fun to write. All of your character-comments make me very happy! Makes me relax a little about trying to keep on track.

Star Jinin: Subconscious Light may/may not make a comeback, and I'm trying to figure out an ending that won't quite involve everyone dying! We'll see, it's ambiguous right now. If I make you like Near I'll be pleased and amazed!

recipe for insanity: I'm sorry...! I usually put this up on AFF a few days earlier because I only get a few reviews there-- it's easier for me to reply quickly and post, then run to work. I usually have to steal time, so it takes a few days to make it over here. Thank you for the review! And, sorry, Light's hurt. (He won't die from it, and will in fact probably be mocked.) I'm still thinking about an ending.

vAMpxCHecKeRS: Thank you very much-- I'm glad you like my writing. (I'm also guessing this chapter will **not** take an hour to read.) Very happy it redeemed Near for you! And that you liked the Sayu parts-- they were stuck in my head for months.

Sexykill69: Thanks! I don't think I'm at the top, but it makes me happy you think so. Research is fun for me. Always keep goals, though! And Sayu very may well have some Near mishaps-- it depends.

Japanimaniac13: Wow-- that makes me happy, then, I'm really glad you comment so regularly! Also, it's definitely Mello with the man-PMS, Light's just a bastard. (Still, I sort of like bastards.) Annnd yes, Matt could have definitely used some Kevlar. Your whole comment made me really happy. And it's wonderful that the story's making you care about the other chars-- I was a bit worried about annoying people with not focusing only on Light and L. Sayu, I think, was not given enough credit in the series, but Sachiko-- you're right, she only had two scenes or something, very small.

Emma Stargaze: L's position will be a little more comfortable for him soon! Thank you.

Arathe: Wow-- thanks so much for that! The sex scenes tend to make me very self-conscious and convinced they're ridiculous. (Also, glad I got you into fight sex! It's the best thing.) Welcome to the story!

xgothic-rosex: Them being caught would prooobably not be cute, but it's good that you liked the lollipop scene!

Believe Bridesmaid: Watari was born in 1933, so the answer to "how old is he?" is "old enough that he shouldn't be hanging out of helicopters sniping at murderers." Most old guys are happy enough with walking the dog or remembering where they parked the car-- Watari's an over-achiever. We're getting to L's part soon! He'll be doing more thinking minus his emo-side, and he'll be on the upswing from now on. Figured it was time to knock Light down a few pegs! (Also, Near doesn't necessarily _usually_ sleep with the Sayu doll, he was just thinking about her a lot in relation to Kira so wanted the toy with him. And besides, Sayu is cute and maybe her hitting him kinda reminds him of Mello. I don't know where that sub-plot is going, but it's got possibilities!)

Pluto: It was set-up! And then this chapter is even more set-up. How mean. I'm sorry! (Also, thanks for the comment!)

PanickedSerenity: Thank you for your comments, and I'm happy you like the story so far!

Opacus: Keeping them IC is what I aim for...! It's fun, but sometimes a pain. Thanks!

Dizzykins: Glad you enjoyed this part too...! Thanks for the review on GM as well.

shadowsole, alx-nichole, Loveless-Love: Thank you all!


	13. Get Out Alive

Chapter 13 : Get Out Alive

I am sooooo so sorry this took so damn long to write! This chapter was just a huge plot snarl to me and it took me three years to work around it. A few weeks ago I had the idea to simplify what I wanted to do with it and everything flowed nicely after that. I know it isn't much after so long. For everyone who's stuck with me, I love you all! Even the ones who've forgotten I existed. I kept receiving occasional responses even after so many years and they let me know that it would be worth it to keep going and I maybe hadn't caused all of you to hate me forever.

(I also reread all of the comments I've gotten to get my energy up, and I forgot how many of you were delighted when Light got shot! It pleased me.)

* * *

25 November, 12:20 p.m. Madrid, Spain

Alone in a car, a man waited.

Thierry Morrelle, known to some as Aiber and to others by hundreds of equally false appellations, was a man well used to setting out bait and watching patiently until it was snapped up by some unlucky mark. As a professional con man, he knew how to play the odds.

Still, with most of his jobs he had always had some idea of what he was in for. The waiting was tolerable if one actually knew that there would be some payoff at the other end.

Shifting again, Thierry reached idly over for another sip of coffee. The seat beside him contained the crumpled remains of his hastily purchased lunch and a police scanner with the volume on. It was picking up only the usual chatter, and Aiber had begun to suspect, after nearly half a day's vigilant surveillance, that Watari had been pulling his leg.

That, or that the old man had finally gone senile.

Rubbing the rough brush of stubble on his chin and trying to stay alert, he tipped his head back against the seat and fought against weariness. Watari's call had caught him in the middle of dinner with his family the evening before, prompting an emergency flight to Madrid. Not knowing when his quarry might take their leave of Spain, he had stopped only to rent the vehicle (under an assumed name, of course) and pick up the scanner before staking out the terminal. Throughout the long night, he feared to risk even a coffee run, though hunger and exhaustion had finally prompted him to purchase fast food a short time ago, a thing he was morally opposed to under normal circumstances.

Now the coffee was fighting a losing battle with the demands of his body. Thierry's eyelids fell gradually and inexorably closed, and his head lolled against the door of the rented jeep.

Sudden excitement in the police radio jerked him back into awareness. Disoriented, it took Thierry a moment to translate the Spanish in his mind and make any sense of what he was hearing. When he realized that Kira had been spotted in the company of a pale and unnatural-seeming young man, the well-spoken con artist cursed loudly and started his engine.

Peeling out of the parking lot for Terminal 2, Thierry spotted more Madrid police jogging for one of the entrances, and as he drew closer he could see a group of armed uniforms surrounding two very familiar figures inside of the building. With only seconds to think of a plan, Aiber clenched his hands on the steering wheel, gave a mental prayer, and pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

Glass shattered at the impact, bursting around him in a cloud of tiny shards. He swerved to a stop inside the gate, shouted to L, and was on the road as soon as the detective could toss Kira into the backseat and climb in.

After a single glance at Thierry with his dark and unreadable eyes, L scrambled into the backseat, wind whipping his already wild hair into an unmanageable frenzy. There was a flurry of confusion from the police scanner, organization was achieved and lights flashed in the rearview mirror as the police hurried to follow a few seconds behind them.

Thierry saw L crouch beside the boy who had been introduced to him as Light Yagami. Ignoring his injured arm, the genius detective dug furiously through one of his bags, taking out a sizeable first aid kit and pulling gauze from it.

"How does it look?" Thierry asked the detective, sticking to Japanese for now. He kept an ear on the scanner as he sped recklessly through the streets, police still in pursuit.

"The bullet grazed his leg. Thirty-four percent chance it will need stitches," L called back, somehow keeping his monotone in spite of his need to raise his voice against the wind and sirens.

"They shot me. They were trying to _kill_ me!" Light's voice sounded high from panic, but had an unmistakable edge of affront. "Stop. _Laughing_," he gritted out in an angry snarl.

Thierry furrowed his brows, looking back at them in the mirror. "What?"

"Shinigami," L explained flatly. Turning his attention back to the injured boy, he spoke in words that Thierry could barely catch- correcting Light, apparently, on the fact that the policemen had been trying to kill them _both_.

"Shinigami?" Though he had participated in the chase to capture the third Kira, Thierry hadn't had the chance to hold the actual notebook of death when it had been taken from Higuchi. That was something he was grateful for; it was ill luck to see a god of death before your time was up. "It's following Yagami now?" A more worrisome thought occurred to the con man, and he risked an alarmed glance at the detective. "Is it in the car with us?" His skin crawled, and he fought not to look warily at the empty passenger seat beside him.

Focusing on Light, L pressed clean gauze to the wound on the murderer's leg. He kept pressure there with his good hand, fighting for his balance against the constant swerving of the jeep. He hunkered down on the vehicle's floor to steady himself. "There are more than one shinigami. Higuchi had allied himself with one." The explanation was strained from the pain in his injured arm or from the jostling of the vehicle, but otherwise without inflection.

Nearly sliding out of control on a sharp turn when a car moved unexpectedly into his way, Thierry clenched his teeth and held tight to the wheel, his customary sunglasses tearing free from their resting place on his head and skittering brokenly across the street. Barely stabilizing the jeep, he pressed his foot to the gas again and continued to speed as other cars honked angrily.

Letting out a breath as he put more distance between himself and the police, Thierry grimaced. "_Merde._ My wife bought me those for my birthday. She's going to kill me now."

"There is a possibility that she may not have to," L replied, voice nearly lost in the wind. "Among the police uniforms were several from the GEO."

Hands flexing on the wheel, Thierry gave a roguish smile. "Then I suppose we're lucky that they weren't waiting in their cars."

L's silence had a feeling of agreement to it.

Thierry allowed the silence to take over, concentrating instead on keeping them all alive.

Too exposed on Avenida de la Hispanidad, he turned right onto Calle de Soto Hidalgo, the trees that gave the street a lush shade in the summer still clinging to their fire-colored leaves. Eyes darting to either side as they drove, Thierry felt a tension building between his shoulder-blades.

Taking a left onto the next street, he saw an opening and turned a sharp right just before a turnaround, cutting northwest across a small park of dried grass. The sudden turn drew a moan of pain from Light, who lost his hold on consciousness.

The jeep took to off-road driving easily, but the police cars following didn't have quite the same luck. Though two of them that had been trailing behind made the turn, the closest car spun too sharply, stalling in the street as the officers within it cursed.

Thierry smiled grimly but called back to L. "Any plans back there, mon ami? Spain is a beautiful country but I don't much care for her prisons."

Black eyes lifted from their study of the unconscious murderer and L straightened enough on the floor of the jeep to catch a glimpse of the scenery blurring past them. "Find a parking garage."

Opening his mouth to question the detective Thierry struggled past the impulse and merely nodded. L was the smartest man Thierry had ever known; if he was going to suggest them hiding in what might essentially turn into a trap with only one exit the genius must have some plan.

Cutting off the road whenever he could the con man kept driving. As they neared Madrid proper larger buildings began to appear, and during one of the moments he'd managed to shake the police tails he found what they were looking for beneath a hotel. Shoulders tight as he pulled into the driveway of the hotel's parking garage, Thierry tried to keep from imagining how badly this might go as he took the small slip of paper the garage machine spat out and pulled into the covered area.

L crawled onto the back seat, perched with one knee between Light's legs so he could keep pressure on Light's wound but still watch the cars they passed. Finding what he wanted he told Thierry to park beside an older-model car.

When Thierry had done so L slid from the jeep, brushing Light's blood absently onto his own jeans as he peered into the vehicle with alert eyes.

With a silent beating of wings Ryuk glided through the ceiling to hover beside the dark haired human, still chuckling from the chase. "What are you going to do now?" the shinigami inquired curiously. "The police will find you soon, even with all these cars around."

"Mm," L agreed distractedly. He blinked black eyes and mused out loud. "All I need is a way in..." Remembering Ryuk gave him an idea and he turned his gaze intently to the god of death. "If Kira and I are captured you would be bored. There would also be no apples," he pointed out reasonably.

Ryuk shrugged his shoulders, tilting his head so his heart earring swung. "That's true, but it's no fun if I help too much." Still, he sensed that L was getting at something, and watched with wall-eyed interest and a fang-filled gaping smile.

L merely nodded, thumb pressed to his lips lightly. "Of course. I have a simple task for you, however, and you will be rewarded with apples if my plan is successful. Could you unlock this car? There's a button on the inside of the door. If you press that, the doors will open."

"..." In answer, Ryuk tilted himself at an angle so his head and shouldered disappeared into the car. He saw the button L had mentioned, considered, and then peeked his head back out of the car. Before he could answer Thierry stepped around the side of the jeep, smile appearing calm.

"Are you trying to get in? I don't have any special skills with lock-picking, and you seem to be down one arm," he mentioned, unable to hear or see Ryuk. From his point of view L had simply taken up the odd habit of musing aloud.

Unable to resist this chance to tease a human Ryuk impishly hit the unlock button. As the locks clicked audibly open with no visible assistance Thierry's eyes widened and he stared at the car, unable to comprehend. Knowing of the existence of shinigami hadn't prepared him for their practical uses.

"Thank you, Ryuk," L intoned. He didn't comment on Thierry jerking slightly at this further evidence of the shinigami's existence. Opening the driver's door with one hand as Ryuk reminded him that he'd earned apples later L knelt on the car seat and with his good arm did a bit of fidgeting beneath the driving wheel. "If you would lend me your hands and a pocket knife, we can be on our way," the detective announced a moment later, looking over his shoulder at the con man. Thierry hesitated, then without protest went around the other side and, with L's careful instructions, they hotwired the car.

As the engine rumbled to life Thierry shook his head in disbelief. "Not that it isn't useful, but how did you learn to do it?"

"A mutual friend," L responded flatly.

Thierry blinked before an amused smile spread across his face. "Ahh, I see. I wondered if she had taught you anything outside of the bedroom."

This cryptic statement had the ability to stall L briefly as the pale man turned wide eyes to Thierry, though his expression didn't show if the other man's guess had been correct or simply so bizarre that even L didn't know how to react. "...Did she say that?" he asked after an instant of mental gymnastics.

Laughing quietly, Thierry shook his head and stepped out of the car to begin transferring their luggage and Kira across to the stolen vehicle. "No, it was just how she spoke of you when we were alone. She's very defensive of you, Wedy," Thierry confided, using the thief's assumed name in case Light was more conscious than he appeared.

Dropping this subject for now and keeping his thoughts to himself L helped Thierry with the bags and left Light to the man with two working arms. Thierry couldn't help the occasional worried glance toward the entrance of the hotel but he relaxed as they pulled away. "Daddy always did tell me the best way to win a car chase is not to get in one," he mused.

In less time than it had seemed the three were packed into the new vehicle. They abandoned the blood-stained and bullet-ridden jeep without a backward glance as they drove away.

LxLxL

25 November, 8:55 p.m. Tokyo, Japan

As none of the detectives in HQ knew Spanish, it took time for the police and news reports from Madrid to be understood.

The investigation had settled down for the night. Dinner had been eaten, dessert had been had, and Sachiko and Sayu were down in the kitchen doing the dishes and arguing playfully over a period TV drama they'd been watching while they cooked. Sayu's brief conversation with Watari had eased some of the girl's stress and she was happier today than she'd been since she'd learned that her brother was Kira.

Near and Rester had disappeared from HQ shortly after the dinner dishes had been cleared away. Since Near was never forthcoming about where he would be going at any moment no one had worried or questioned him. While in Madrid Light had been shot in the leg and Light, L and Aiber were racing across the city, Matsuda was snoring softly in his chair in Tokyo, full of delicious home cooking and unable to stay awake. Soichirou was rubbing his face tiredly and contemplating turning in for the night as well, no longer as young as the other detectives. Mogi was determinedly working through thousands of reports of Kira sightings from around the world, almost all of which were bound to be false.

Aizawa was the only one alert and looking at current news, and he didn't become aware of the situation until the world news station that had dedicated itself to constantly broadcasting information on Kira began showing live footage from Spain.

Watching long enough to understand what was happening Aizawa cursed. Assuming command without thinking he ordered the others- including Soichirou- to keep an eye on the events unfolding. Knowing Watari had infrared cameras on at all times he asked the room at large where Near could currently be found. Watari being Watari, he was answered promptly.

Terror of what might happen if whatever plans Near surely had in place to keep another world government from capturing Kira weren't readied sent Aizawa rushing urgently into the waiting elevator, thankful that Watari could remotely control every function in the building from his office. The elevator took him to the floor he needed and he flew out, suit jacket flaring behind him. Watari had told him that Near was on the 8th floor, and though Aizawa was now aware that that floor had a small swimming pool (Sayu possessed a curiosity none of the detectives came close to, and any floor that would open to her had been prowled through and then brightly reported on by the girl) that knowledge wasn't enough to prepare Aizawa for the sight that met his astonished eyes.

Opening a glass door in the center of the 8th floor Aizawa caught himself on the edge of the doorway, his shout for Near cut short as he looked out over a swimming pool that couldn't have been that large, but should have been far too vast to be so thoroughly covered in toys.

Approaching cautiously with his dress shoes tapping on the tiled floor, the normally jaded detective had to take it on faith that there was in fact water beneath the bright sea of ships, rubber duckies, multi-colored plastic balls and pool toys, one of which was a huge air-filled dinosaur such that children who couldn't swim well might float on. He wasn't even aware of Rester until the man cleared his throat from just behind Aizawa, the sound a clear warning. Jumping at the noise, Aizawa looked back at Rester and kept his gaze fixed firmly on the stoic man in relief. "We need Near- there's been a development with Kira," the detective managed, wondering where the albino might be. The surface of the pool was as still as it could be considering some of the ships seemed to be battery controlled and whirred importantly through the colorful mass of objects.

Rester merely nodded. Walking to the edge of the pool the man knelt cautiously, rolled up one of his sleeves and plunged his arm into the water up to his elbow, causing several toys to sink beneath the water before bobbing back up.

Whatever signal he gave beneath the surface was apparently seen. Seconds later more toys stirred in a pathway toward them as something swam sleekly beneath the flotsam. A moment after that Near's head appeared, his eyes covered with swimming goggles and his already colorless hair flattened to his skull in a way that made him seem nearly bald. The boy reached an imperious hand up and Rester effortlessly but gently hauled the albino from the pool while repeating what Aizawa had just said to him. Near nodded, tossed his goggles carelessly aside and headed for the door.

"What's the situation?" Near demanded, not breaking stride as Rester handed him a towel and set a plush bathrobe about the boy's thin shoulders as he walked. Aizawa noted that Near was wearing boy's swim trunks that were covered in space ships and comets. He wondered if he'd ever really adjust to the strange habits of genius.

Shrugging into the robe without paying attention to it Near allowed Aizawa to open the door for him, playing with one of his soaking locks of hair in an attempt to curl it like usual about one of his thin fingers. The towel was draped around his shoulders but he hadn't bothered to use it.

Trying to shake the strangeness of this situation from his thoughts Aizawa gave a terse report on what he'd seen before leaving HQ. In response Near frowned and picked up his pace, bare feet thudding against the carpet as he headed to the nearest elevator with Aizawa. Once again the elevator opened as they approached, and within minutes the group was hurrying through the sliding doors that allowed them into headquarters.

When they got to the monitors the scene that met them was anticlimactic. The other detectives were alert now and studying various reports, but there were no scenes of Light and L being hauled into unmarked vans as Aizawa had feared. Instead the footage available involved excited witnesses being questioned by reporters, shots of the wreckage Aiber had left of the airport's entrance with his jeep, and a few scenes from police helicopters as the city was searched with no avail for the murderer and detective.

Not appearing disappointed in the least Near flicked his pale eyes over the various screens, a very small smile on his mouth. "Watari, get me two tickets to Madrid," he commanded the waiting microphones.

Soichirou shifted to frown at Near. Apparently he'd realized that if Near was leaving, Kira's father wasn't one of the people Near would be pulling along. "If Madrid is our freshest lead I don't believe that you and Commander Rester should be the only ones to investigate. My men may not have the same freedom of movement within other countries that your position allows you but surely, if you bring us along..."

Near didn't bother to meet the man's gaze, still focused on the screens. "Rester and I know Spanish. Translating for the rest of you would be a waste of time." The former chief of police winced, not having considered that.

Resentful of how dismissively Near always spoke to them, Aizawa gave the boy a stern frown. "You should at least take Watari with you. He was always helpful for L."

Taking over a chair and commandeering several monitors, Near nodded. "I never forget that." The words weren't so much agreeing with Aizawa as a flat statement. In another tone of voice Aizawa might have even thought the phrase foreboding or suspicious, and he found himself frowning more deeply.

"You don't really trust any of us, do you?" For the first time in Aizawa's memory it was Matsuda who spoke aloud what Aizawa had been thinking. Of course, it being Matsuda he'd made the words sad and a little wounded. Aizawa preferred a challenging directness.

The albino apparently agreed more with Aizawa's tactics. Near gave Matsuda a bright smile that didn't reach his eyes. His hair was just beginning to dry and was sticking up in odd, chlorine-stiff lumps about his head and in his eyes, but the boy didn't seem adorable or childlike, just strange. Unsettled, Aizawa was glad for once that his own daughter wasn't here at headquarters.

"I don't trust you any more than any of you like me," Near observed bluntly. "But we don't need either of those things to catch L and stop Kira."

"I can assist Near just as well from headquarters." Watari's polite voice cut smoothly into the room, parting the tension. "I don't believe Near plans to be gone for long in any case. Thank you for kindly suggesting me, however, Aizawa. It's wonderful praise for an old man."

Watari's humility drew automatic protests from the detectives and what might have become a stand off calmed for the moment. Still, whatever Near believed, Aizawa wasn't sure how much longer he could work with someone who had so little respect for anyone else.

LxLxL

25 November, 2:46 p.m., Spain

The stolen car had been abandoned an hour outside of Madrid. Though uncomfortable with assisting Kira, Thierry still felt he owed L for not having made him spend a life behind bars. This gratitude, as he saw it, at least deserved him helping L to find a safe place to stay for a few days before the man would inevitably disappear.

Using his own money Thierry had gone to a used car lot and had paid in cash to get a minivan with tinted windows. A natural manipulator and liar, the French man had no trouble fielding the salesman's questions and haggling the price on the automobile down to what he felt it was worth. Not doing so would have raised more curiosity in the man.

While he did this L and Light had been out of sight in the car parked a ways down the road, out of the casual sight of passing traffic. With Light still unconscious L had sat crouched and tense in the passenger seat, thumb pressed to his teeth as he tried to keep from chewing it bloody again and kept his gaze roving constantly over their surroundings.

When Thierry returned to pick them up, Light was pragmatically stashed in the empty space created by pushing the van's seats flat. L replaced the makeshift bandages on the young man's leg with clean gauze and secured this so it wouldn't slip and Thierry rifled through a paper bag of goodies he'd bought- snacks and drinks for he and L, a sandwich for whenever Light woke up and a bag of apples. He couldn't understand the last, but L had requested them specifically.

With Light tended to and as well as he could be with a fresh gunshot wound L crawled between the front seats to resume his crouched position in this new vehicle, seatbelt fastened awkwardly across his lap and chest. Noting the large supply of snacks L considered gravely before pulling out several small chocolate cakes and biting into them. Leaving another car behind they had turned north by a roundabout path.

Dark eyes shifting restlessly over the scenery, L plucked a few apples from the bag and tossed them behind him. Thierry furrowed his brow before swerving the car in surprise when the apples were apparently caught by the empty air and devoured by some invisible mouth. A quiet stream of French invective followed this as Thierry corrected his driving with a pounding heart. "Does it have to come with us?" he asked tightly, aware that he wasn't being his usual calm self but unable to so lightly adjust to the presence of an invisible, life-taking monster accompanying their journey. "Watari seemed to think that I had to help Kira as well if I want to help you but he's at least a human."

He was unable to hear the laughter his reaction and words provoked from the happy and apple-fed shinigami. With the roomy van Ryuk could sit by Light easily and listen to the fun conversations of the humans. L turned his dark eyes briefly to Ryuk before resuming his watch out the windows. "Ryuk finds humans entertaining. I could threaten to withhold apples from him if he remains but using the threat often would decrease its effectiveness." L lapsed into a strained silence, thumb returning to his mouth now that the cakes he'd chosen had been eaten. "...Did Watari alone send you, or are you here for the new L?"

Having expected this conversation, Thierry shrugged. "Well, now, that depends on Watari," he remarked with wry humor. "If it helps to ease your mind, as long as he hasn't turned on you we should all be safe. That esteemed gentleman called on me last night with the request that I be waiting at the Madrid airport for yourself and your... companion. I still owe you my freedom and if this works out we may be even."

Not missing some of Thierry's phrasing, L turned his head, eyes intense and blankly hiding their thoughts. The con man withstood this for less than a minute before chuckling. "All right, I surrender. I'm sure you must have a few questions but I can't tell which one is bothering you at the moment."

"...What reason did Watari give for my protecting Kira?" L inquired, the question implied by the context as the words had been stated flatly.

Thierry sighed. "A strange one. I asked him, as you assume. You've been known to let the occasional harmless criminal off the hook, as Wedy and myself give evidence to, but not killers. I worried that it was blackmail, or perhaps the Imperius curse," Thierry admitted, the last reference completely lost on the genius detective. Then again, L didn't have several young children who enjoyed the Harry Potter stories.

Wanting to get a reading on the other man and see if any reaction to his words showed, Thierry slanted a glance at L as he spoke, keeping his attention on the traffic but his peripheral vision focused on the detective. L's usual position seemed more defensive than usual, as if the man were trying to protect himself from whatever his old father figure might have said of him. "Watari informed me that it was worse than blackmail, and implied that he would have preferred if something so simple as a curse were involved. He said you have a... certain attachment to the killer. It may even be..."

Thierry's words were interrupted by Light groaning quietly. L's eyes immediately turned to the brunet.

LxLxL

Waking in the back of an unfamiliar van to the sound of a voice that was only distantly familiar and pain throbbing in his leg, Light resisted the instinct to panic. Looking to either side of himself he noted that Ryuk was still entertained, but he knew the shinigami well enough to understand that even if he'd been captured by the Spanish government that wouldn't change.

"L?" he called out, lifting his head to peer toward the tail of the van and then twisting himself carefully to see the front. He met L's gaze and seeing the older man unfettered and with no armed guards around him Light relaxed. If they had been caught this certainly wasn't the sort of transport a government or L's replacement would have given to either of them.

The instant after those fears were calmed he had several new ones to replace them. L was sitting tightly wound and chewing his thumb, a sure sign that he was under heavy stress and trying to hide it. Beside him, driving the car, was a man Light knew as Aiber. He recalled the man rescuing them but only as a glimpse of recognition around the pain exploding through his leg.

That they were still with the man wasn't as good of a sign as it might seem. L had to know that they couldn't trust Aiber; even if he'd helped L out in the past, the only way for Aiber to have realized where they were to save them from the Spanish police was for Aiber to be partnered with Near. He wondered with a flash of irritation what they'd done to give themselves away before he pushed that annoyance aside in favor of trying to find a way out of this mess.

As these thoughts flashed quickly through Light's mind the young man frowned at L. The other genius didn't seem inclined to say anything at all.

"L, why is he still with us?" Light demanded, wanting to know if L was using his mind at all or if whatever blind morality kept the detective from giving Light a photo and name for Near to kill him and solve their problems was now making L believe that Aiber wouldn't betray them both.

Rather than answer him L turned his face toward Thierry. Thierry arched an eyebrow at L but obligingly replied. "I think he wants me to take this one. I'm with you because it's the only way to help him. Neither of you are in much shape to drive, correct? I'm sure L could manage, but I'm the only one here with two fine arms and no gunshot wounds. I also wouldn't sleep easily without knowing I'd done all I could to help."

Irked at L's refusal to directly respond, Light ignored Thierry's ridiculous question in favor of trying to will L to answer with his mind. Apparently unaffected by this L blinked slowly at Light before breaking eye contact to look out the windows. Light's annoyance flared into anger and he forced himself to relax as much as he could and calm his mind. He spoke with his eyes closed, confident that he could read details from vocal inflections and knowing that straining to constantly watch L and Aiber would get him little but a sore neck. "I suppose you're with us out of simple concern for our health?" he asked Thierry, infusing the words with sarcasm.

"Not for _your_ health," Thierry disagreed amicably. "For his. If that's too altruistic for you, don't worry, I have my own reasons for helping him."

"I'm sure you do," Light remarked dryly. "Are you driving us directly to Near, or only to a holding cell?"

"Now my feelings are hurt. Do you need reassurance? How about a promise..." Thierry smiled to himself and L slid his gaze to watch him, thumb still to his teeth. "On my honor as a con man, I'm not knowingly leading you into a trap. If it helps, I've never met Near. Is that the fake L you mentioned in your little publicity stunt?"

Again Light ignored the obvious question. "You're being remarkably calm, considering your situation."

Thierry arched an eyebrow and spoke indulgently as though humoring a child. "And what situation is that?"

"L knows your name. He can supply me with it at any time and your loyalty will be assured up until your death," Light replied smoothly.

For the first time since Light regained consciousness L spoke, the words slipping quietly into the van. "Light-kun's threat is ill-considered for several reasons," he mentioned conversationally.

Opening his eyes Light tilted his head again to stare at L, frustrated with the other man undermining his attempt to control their circumstances. L turned his black eyes blankly back to Light, shields at full.

"Oh?" Light forced a chuckle. The pain from his leg was a constant distraction. If they could only get away from Thierry and he could rest and recover he was sure he would be back to normal in a few days, but he hated how vulnerable they were right now.

"I will not supply Kira-kun with any names. It is also unadvisable to threaten the person currently operating our vehicle. And, lastly... Kira-kun may find that killing others without his Death Note is more difficult than he seems to assume."

L's last words sent a chill trickle of foreboding down Light's spine. His hands immediately went to his stomach, where the otherworldly notebook had been kept close to him since Ryuk returned it. His hand flattened against the thin layer of his dress shirt covering only warm skin. Resisting the useless urge to lift his shirt and make sure that it really was missing, Light still whipped his head back around to stare wildly at L. "Where-? Did it fall at the airport? L, we can't leave it with the Madrid police," he told the detective with the thinnest layer of self-control covering his desperation. "The consequences for the world would undermine everything I've tried to do..."

L's black eyes met Light's for another instant as Ryuk laughed uproariously. Then, calmly looking away, L selected a lollipop from the bag beside him and put it into his mouth before conscientiously offering one to Light. When Light ignored it to continue watching L the dark-haired man sighed. "Light-kun misunderstands. The notebook of death remains with us until I can safely destroy it. I removed it from him while he was unconscious." Thierry arched his eyebrows at L, apparently impressed.

The trickle down Light's spine became a maelstrom in his stomach and mind and he gritted his teeth to keep from shouting. He couldn't fight the other man for it while they were in a van and he was fighting blood loss. When they'd reached their destination was a different matter. He just had to keep control- no situation was as hopeless as it seemed, and he'd won arguments with the detective before.

Pretending unconsciousness, Light lapsed into silence to brew his plans in peace. A prickling at his neck let him know that L was staring at him before eventually returning his attention to the road ahead of them.

* * *

Normally I'd put comment responses here, but since most of those are years old I assume no one remembers what they said anyway! I'll settle with more profuse thanks.

The GEO that L mentioned seeing are the Grupo Especial de Operaciones, who function somewhat like SWAT operatives in America- they're specialized and highly trained members of the police force. Their training includes learning how to conduct high-speed car chases, but in this situation, given that it wasn't known when or if Kira and L would be going through the airport, there was probably only one operative commando involved. (A five-man unit.) So, with them spread out inside the airport, none were readily able to grab vehicles and give chase or the situation might have gone differently... The information was courtesy of Wikipedia so it may be wrong, though! This is also the end of the first 'arc' for TYA, sort of how Goodnight Moon was an arc. I didn't feel like starting a third fanfic for it though, so the arc will just keep going with this whenever I have time to write it.

Get Out Alive is by Three Days Grace.


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